At the great debate last night, VP finance candidate Gagan Parmar spoke about his plans to fund Indigenous student initiatives, foster a healthy workplace culture and “strike a balance” in funding allocation. Parmar notably completed the debate without a computer.
At the beginning of the debate, Parmar reiterated his experience working within the AMS Finance Portfolio, alongside corporate finance.
“These experiences have really motivated me to run and change some of the things that I've seen are pain points,” he said.
On Indigenous student initiatives, Parmar said he intends to collaborate with the Indigenous Student Society to understand the society’s most “pressing needs” and ensure that its events and initiatives are supported through the constituency aid fund.
“In the event that their Indigenous student fee funding is not enough to cover a lot of their [initiatives,] … I'll be more than happy to consult with the society,” said Parmar.
In the 2023/24 service report, the AMS noted a 64.4 per cent increase in AMS Food Bank usage — the AMS Food Bank currently represents 69 per cent of all AMS service interactions. Despite this, funding for the service has remained stagnant.
Parmar could not confirm whether the VP Finance Office would be able to increase the food bank's budget in the upcoming year. However, he said he plans to perform an audit to “see how much money that they … actually ended up using [in past years].”
“I would prioritize budgetary allocation to make sure [the AMS Food Bank has] what they need,” said Parmar “If there are shortfalls, [we will] work with their external partners, sponsorships [and] other food banks to see if there are ways we can collaborate to make sure students still get the services that they need.”
Additionally, in the event of a financial shortfall, Parmar said he would prioritize the AMS’s “core services.”
“If we continue in current shortfalls and [if] our main core services in terms of student needs, food bank, [and] tutoring … cannot be maintained, I think we can cut back on some of our other [events like AMS Block Party],” said Parmar.
On whether he supports the VP student life referendum item and the cost of the proposed executive position despite funding shortfalls, Parmar said he encourages students to do their own research to make an informed decision.
According to Ubyssey coverage, former AMS executives have alleged poor workplace culture. In response, Parmar vowed to “maintain stability” within the VP Finance Office and cited his experience managing a team at the Commerce Undergraduate Society.
“I think cultivating a culture of respect [and] a decentralized structure within the finance office will make sure that everyone that is working within the team is able to have a productive and respectful experience.”
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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