The National Graduate Caucus is a separate caucus within the Canadian Federation of Students uniting over 70,000 graduate student members of the Federation. The Caucus Canada's graduate student organisation with an office in Ottawa and dedicated resources to lobby federal decision-makers. 

The Caucus holds three business meetings per year, has a distinct budget, and elects a Chair, Deputy Chair, and representative to the Federation's National Executive. Graduate students also join together with over one-half million students across Canada to lobby on issues of concern to all students such as student debt, tuition fees, and core funding for Canadian universities.

Advocacy for Graduate Students

The National Graduate Caucus is Canada's voice for graduate students in Canada. With over 70,000 students at 31 campuses from Newfoundland to British Columbia, the Caucus puts the issues of graduate students on the national and provincial agendas.

Through the Federation's national research department, the Caucus monitors legislative developments as they pertain to graduate students. The research and communications capacity of the Federation also insures that the voice of graduate students has been heard on issues as varied as copyright legislation, whistleblower protection, student debt, the licensing agreement students sign with the National Library of Canada, and academic freedom.

Caucus representatives meet regularly with elected and non-elected officials from Human Resources & Skills Development, Industry Canada, Citizenship and Immigration Canada, and the Department of Finance. In addition to representing graduate students at the National Advisory Group on Student Financial Assistance and various House of Commons Standing Committees, the NGC is also an active participant in the Canadian Consortium for Research.

By working together with organisations like the Canadian Association of University Teachers (CAUT), the Caucus has become one of the pre-eminent voices protecting the rights of researchers in Canada.

Contact the Caucus Chairperson Kimalee Phillip: chair (at) graduatestudents.ca

Recent Graduate Student Victories

• In 2010, the McGuinty government introduced the Ontario Trillium Scholarship for international doctoral students in response to Ontario Graduate Caucus recommendations to support international graduate students.
• In 2010, the McGuinty government heard the Ontario Graduate Caucus' call for more Ontario Graduate Scholarships (OGS) and responded by increasing the number of OGS by 50 percent in the Budget.
• In 2008, the Federation successfully lobbied the federal government for an additional 500 Canada Graduate Scholarships (CGS).
• In 2006, legislation was introduced to include universities under the Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act.
• In 2005, the provincial government committed to expand graduate enrolment by 14,000 students by 2009.
• In 2003, the Government of Canada created the Canada Graduate Scholarships (CGS) for masters and doctoral students, as a result of lobbying efforts by the Federation.
• In 2003, the Federation won a new federal programme to help cover the indirect costs of research, the Indirect Cost Program (ICP), that now provides over $300 million per year.
• In 2000, the Federation pressured the National Library of Canada to halt their arrangement with an American internet company, under which Canadian graduate students' theses and dissertations were being posted for sale on the site without regard for copyright.