DSU strike vote:
special GENERAL MEETING 
IMPORTANT UPDATE

On Thursday, March 12th, a student vote took place on joining the Nova Scotia Student Strike during the Special General Meeting held by the DSU. With 64.16% in favour, (145 YES - 81 NO) The motion PASSED with one change to the motion: striking out the preamble clause on CFS-NS.
Note: "The preamble clause referencing CFS-NS was removed to reflect that this is an independently organized provincial action."

DSU’s official position is for students to be striking from March 15-21. The DSU Executive Team is currently working on an academic amnesty motion to be presented to Senate on Monday, in hopes of providing some academic protections to students.

A STUDENT-WIDE EMAIL HAS BEEN SENT OUT. PLEASE CHECK YOUR EMAIL INBOXES/OTHER FOLDERS
Please be patient as more information comes out.
We will continue to update on our social media channels as well a this webpage!

WHAT IS A STUDENT STRIKE

On February 12th, the DSU received a petition signed by over a 1% quorum of students calling for a Special General Meeting (SGM) to discuss the strike motion drafted by a grassroots group of students. As per our bylaws, we then called an SGM for March 12th, through which this motion passed. This union now has a democratic mandate to move forward with a strike during the designated strike week. 

A student strike is a coordinated pause from regular academic activity to demonstrate the seriousness of student concerns; in this case, the grassroots group of organizers have called for students to abstain from attending classes, tutorials, labs, and submitting assignments. The Dalhousie Students 4 Strike  group has indicated that during strike week, you can expect a range of programming and picketing activities. These actions are meant to be collective and visible displays of students’ organizing behind the demands of affordable tuition and divestment.

RISKS & AMNESTY INFORMATION:
WHAT DOES THIS MEAN FOR STUDENTS?

While the DSU has passed a strike vote and is encouraging students to participate in the strike, we do not have a mechanism through which a mandate can be enforced. Where we are not a labour union, a student strike is based on voluntary participation amongst the membership.

We want to be upfront that any strike action includes risk, and for students, academic implications. Missing classes or assessments can carry risks depending on your program and instructors. While the DSU executive will be bringing a motion on limited academic amnesty to the Dalhousie Senate on Monday, we encourage students to reach out to their instructors ahead of time to seek flexibility and clarity.

ACADEMIC AMNESTY MOTION

REVISED MOTION BROUGHT TO COUNCIL MONDAY, MARCH 16TH
MOTION HAS PASSED

“THAT Senate approve that Dalhousie University encourage instructors to grant academic amnesty
wherever possible, at the discretion of the instructor and for one class or assessment per course, for
students who attend the strike during March 15–21, 2026, under the following conditions:

1. Protections apply only to academic obligations scheduled between March 15–21, 2026.

2. Amnesty applies to students participating in strike-related activities during the recognized
   dates.

3. Students remain responsible for completing all course learning outcomes and any revised Senate March 16, 2026 requirements established by the instructor.

4. Students seeking flexibility shall notify affected instructors via official university email, at
   least 24 hours in advance where reasonably possible.

5. Students shall not be required to submit documentary proof of attendance at strike
   activities.

6. The amnesty does not apply to a final exam, final coursework, fieldwork, and skills labs.

7. The Faculties of Dentistry, and Medicine, and the College of Pharmacy are excluded
   from the academic amnesty.

8. The motion explicitly excludes practicums, work-integrated learning, and co-operative
   education placements, which shall maintain their customary attendance and participation
   requirements”

A MESSAGE FROM OUR DSU PRESIDENT:

“Hello DSU members,

Thank you to everyone who participated in the Special General Meeting discussing a student strike motion. As the highest decision-making body of the DSU, your voices and decision-making are integral to our democratic processes. The motion to join the provincial student strike has passed with 145 in favour of the motion and 81 opposed. The passed, amended motion in its entirety can be read here [link to website].

This means that the DSU has officially voted in favour of a week-long student strike from March 15-21.

Over the past few weeks, I’ve watched students organize, debate, engage, and show up for each other in ways that remind me why our union exists in the first place. This strike vote showed something powerful: when students organize, we shift the conversation. This decision wasn’t an easy one, and it isn’t just symbolic. What students decided yesterday is a direct expression of what we are willing to stand up for. Whether you participate on the picket lines, in teach-ins, or in quieter ways that fit your own situation, you’re part of a moment that students have created together through direct democratic decision-making. I’m proud of the determination I’ve seen in students, and I believe deeply in what we can accomplish when we act with purpose and solidarity.

As organizing is quickly happening, we’ll share below the information we know about strike week, and try to answer some questions you may have. I urge you all in this upcoming week to act with care and respect for the student community as your guiding principle, knowing that we as students are powerful and our voices matter.

In solidarity,
Maren Mealey, DSU President”

SCHEDULE & CONTACTS

Emerging information on the strike week schedule is continuing to be developed by Nova Scotia Student Strike, as they are the organizers of these events, not the DSU directly. Please refer directly to their Instagram for programming and questions: @dalstudents4strike and @novascotiastudentstrike. As shared in the SGM, provincial strike programming will include: teach-ins, panels, rallies, art builds, performances and community meals.

Some key programming highlighted by Nova Scotia Student Strike members at the SGM included:

• Monday, March 16th:

  • 8:30am: Picketing begins on campuses

  • 10:30am: Protest First Aid Worksop @ Dal SUB

  • 12pm: Tatreez Workshop @dal SUB

  • 2pm:Student Strike Organizing Workshop @ Dal SUB

• Tuesday, March 17th:

  • 8:30am: Picketing begins on campuses

  • 10am: Migrants Justice NS Teach in @ Dal SUB

  • 12-3pm: Sensory kit making @ SUB Council Chambers

  • 2:30pm: Just Peace Advocates Talk @ Dal SUB

  • 4pm: Panel on Student Organizing @ Dal SUB

• Wednesday, March 18th:

  • 8:30am: Picketing begins on campuses

  • 10am: Dal No More Stolen Sisters Event @ Dal SUB

  • 2pm: Rally at Dalhousie Studley Quad

  • 3pm: Press Conference

  • 6pm: Fairy Creek Documentary Screening & Panel @Acadia U

If you have any questions to ask directly to the organizers, we encourage people to contact them over Instagram DM at @dalstudents4strike. For other questions, feel free to reach out to DSU President, Maren Mealey at dsupres@dal.ca and she will answer to the best of her ability

DAL Strike Motion 

Student Petition to Call for a Special General Meeting
to Vote on Joining the Provincial Student Strike 

“WHEREAS all people have the right to education, in accordance with the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms, and the United Nations Universal Declaration of Human Rights, and; 

WHEREAS tuition is a limitation on the right of all people to access education throughout Canada, and; Whereas rising costs of living have reached a crisis point, and tuition prices continue to increase across Nova Scotia, and; 

WHEREAS Dalhousie students have participated in issue-based collective actions and protest encampments on campus, including demonstrations for global justice and institutional accountability, and; 

WHEREAS Dalhousie students have shown solidarity with campus labour actions and collective rallies in support of faculty and academic workers; 

WHEREAS student strike action has occurred historically in Canada and internationally as a method of collective student action in response to issues of access and affordability in education, and; 

BE IT RESOLVED THAT the Dalhousie Student Union actively pursue a one-week student strike campaign, consistent with the provincially coordinated timeline and unified provincial demands, and; 

BE IT RESOLVED THAT the Dalhousie student strike be a one-week general student strike from March 15th to March 21st, 2026, and; 

BE IT RESOLVED THAT the Dalhousie Student Strike Campaign will include and publicize two (2) demands associated with the strike, and; 

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED THAT the first demand be for Affordable Tuition at Dalhousie University, defined as: 

1. Standardization: the abolition of differential tuition fees for international and out-of-province students, and the end to the federal cap on the number of international students, to be made possible by increased government funding, and; 

2. Affordability: an immediate 20% decrease to all tuition fees for all students at Dalhousie University, to be made possible by increased government funding, and;

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED THAT the second demand be for Divestment, defined as divestment by Dalhousie University from: 

1. all weapons manufacturing or armament-producing entities; 

2. all entities directly involved in the production of fossil fuels; 

3. all entities which directly or indirectly support genocide, crimes against humanity, war crimes, and crimes of aggression as defined by the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court, including but not limited to those supporting current genocides and crises in Palestine, Haiti, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and Sudan; and 

4. all entities which directly profit from the exploitation of resources on sovereign Indigenous land without the free, prior, and informed consent of the Indigenous peoples with ancestral ties to that land, or that otherwise violate treaties between colonial governments and Indigenous peoples, and; 

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED THAT any student strike campaign prioritize the safety, legal protection, and inclusion of international students, graduate students, and other students who may face disproportionate academic, legal, or financial risk as a result of strike participation, and; 

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED THAT all reasonable efforts be made by the Dalhousie Student Union to pursue negotiation, advocacy, and political pressure on Dalhousie University and the Provincial Government prior to March 2026 in order to secure these demands and eliminate the need for a general student strike, and; 

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED THAT all possible steps be taken by the Dalhousie Student Union to attempt to persuade the Provincial Government and Dalhousie University to make the necessary changes to meet the demands of Affordable Tuition “

Why the DSU held a
Special General Meeting

A Special General Meeting is a general meeting of the Members that considers business other than the business outlined in Section 8.6 of the DSU Bylaws. A student petition signed by 305 Dalhousie Students was submitted to the Chair of Council to Call for a Special General Meeting to Vote on Joining the Provincial Student Strike 

A Special General Meeting can be called by the Chair when they have received a petition signed by at least 1 per cent of the Members that calls for such Special General Meeting and includes the specific resolutions to be considered at the meeting. Similar to the AGM, Students will attend to vote on one particular motion.