Candidates say a lot during debates — numbers, figures, claims and more.
It can be difficult to comprehend everything that gets said, which is why our fact-checking team works behind the scenes to check all the big claims made by candidates.
The claims which follow come from the second AMS debate on March 4, where the candidates competing for the VP administration, VP external affairs and student senator-at-large roles debated each other.
We didn't cover everything, but hopefully this provides some clarity on a few of the claims that were made and the extent to which they’re true.
Quotes have been edited for brevity and clarity.
President
/u/sasamats, Riley Huntley, Barry "Bee" Buzzword, Nobody and Drédyn Fontana are running for president.
Fontana: “Half the execs turning over in the last three years is not exactly instilling confidence in the student body.”
Noted. Since 2022, 46 per cent of all elected AMS executives have left the society in some capacity — whether by resignation, removal or extended leaves of absence during their term.
Huntley: Just last year, I eliminated over half a million dollars in student fees.
True. According to AMS Council Minutes from Sept 25, 2024 on page 17, Huntley talked about recent errors in what fees were approved by the Board of Governors.
Huntley: As President of the Royal Roads University Student Association, … [we] unionized graduate students, which was 40 per cent of the student body.
True, but hard to verify. There does exist a collective agreement between Royal Roads University and the Canadian Union of Public Employees Local 3886. This agreement was created in 2022, the same year Huntley was President.
Huntley: The actual usage of the [Student] Court was basically defunct long before [it was abolished in 2020].
True. Student Court stopped regularly convening after 2009/10 and was formally abolished in 2020.
VP academic and university affairs
Ananya Gupta and Zarifa Nawar are running for VP academic and university affairs.
Gupta: I have … hosted a bunch of interactive student events, like Study Cafe.
True. Study Cafe was hosted this year while Gupta was the AUS VP academic.
Gupta: [I] distributed more than 300 care packages during the exam season to students.
Noted. In November of 2024 the AUS dispensed care packages, but the specific number distributed isn’t listed.
Nawar: 59 per cent of annual … food bank [visits are] from graduate students, 79 per cent from international students, and 51 per cent of students harbouring feelings of worry related to food insecurity.
True. Nawar’s first two statistics are true according to the 2023/24 AMS Services Report , and her last is true according to the 2024 AMS Academic Experience Survey Report.
VP finance
Gagan Parmar is running uncontested for VP finance.
Parmar: For the surplus that at least has been reflected for this year, I think it has locked in with the staff savings.
True.
Board of Governors
Yi Chen, Cade Desjarlais, Jasper Lorien, Mohkam Singh Malik, Bardia Mohammadizadeh and Alexander Wong are running for Board of Governors. Mohammadizadeh and Wong were absent from this debate.
Desjarlais: I secured $7 million for student recreation space.
True.
Lorien: [Tuition freezes have] happened at other universities”
True.
Lorien: [Revising] the annual tuition consultation process … is part of the Student Affordability Task Force recommendations.
True.
Malik: We continue to invest through our endowment in countries that are actively waging economic war against us, like the United States.
True. UBC’s endowment fund invests in American companies like Microsoft and Amazon, and recently the US has imposed tariffs on Canada.
Desjarlais: We're still paying our faculty more [compared to UofT].
True. UBC is paying staff $2.3 billion while UofT is paying $2.2 billion.
This article is part of our 2025 AMS Elections coverage. Follow us at @UbysseyNews on X (formerly Twitter) and follow our election coverage starting March 3.
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