Skip to content

Student Strike Protest - Update

Update: Organizers of this coming weekend's Canadian Grand Prix race in Montréal have cancelled a pre-race open house event following direct threats from student groups to use the event as a venue for further protests.

Update: Organizers of this coming weekend's Canadian Grand Prix race in Montréal have cancelled a pre-race open house event following direct threats from student groups to use the event as a venue for further protests. Ticket sales for the Grand Prix are down substantially.

Student groups say organizers overreacted, claiming that they would not stop people from going to the race, however organizers stated that the risk of disruptive protests raised security concerns.

The students' fight -- whether or not one agrees with it -- is with the government. Using the Grand Prix as a venue will certainly bring more notoriety to their cause, but I'm not sure it will win them the wider support they are seeking.
 
 Meanwhile, Gilbert Rozon, president of the Juste Pour Rire/Just for Laughs Comedy Festival says ticket sales are down by 50%. He is asking student leaders for assurances that people that are attending these festivals and other outdoor free activities that there will be no violence, and that their security will be ensured.
 
I fail to see how disrupting these events that brings thousands of spectators and fans to Montréal, infusing millions into the local economy will aid the student's in achieving their objective.
 
- David

The student "strike" in Montréal has been in the headlines for over three months, now. Far too long, in my opinion.

This is not a strike. A strike is where the workforce withdraws its services to urge the employer to reach a negotiated settlement with them. The students' withdrawal from their classes hurts no one but themselves: their tuition has been paid and is non-refundable.

While there may well be some student representatives espousing a more moralistic argument in favour of this sustained protest -- I think calling this a "revolution" is premature -- the fact is that many who are joining in the protests aredoing so simply because they can.

I recall how idealistic I was in the 80s when I first attended university, but I was not nearly as idealistic as most of my fellow students -- perhaps being in my early 20s when I started gave me a different perspective.

Even then students were complaining about tuition fees, and the occasional protest rally was held. Interestingly it was the Business and Economics students leading the charge.

When I attended university again twenty-some years later, the same sentiment was being expressed.

The fact of "free" tuition in some European countries has been raised by students and their supporters, apparently in an attempt to justify this prolonged protest. What they fail to mention is that in these countries admission is not open to all: there are admission requirements which include attaining top marks in secondary studies, and often an entrance exam.

Perhaps Canada should move toward such a system?

There is no such thing as "free" education -- the costs must be borne somehow. For that matter, tuition only represents a fraction of the actual cost of a post secondary education, the remainder being covered by endowments and fund-raising and, of course, government funding (tax dollars).

While there are some, shall we say, more "mature" supporters of this protest, the vast majority are in their late-teens and early-twenties, people not yet familiar with the realities of family economics. That Canada is already one of the most highly-taxed nations is a fact. I dare say that adding to that by allowing students "free" post secondary education would not be well-received by most taxpayers.

I occasionally hear and read comments that "education is a right," and that is true -- to a point: a free, basic education is, indeed, the foundation of our society. At one point that meant only an elementary (basic) education. In more recent times that was expanded to include secondary education.

I don't like using the term "slippery slope," but further expanding that to include post-secondary education leaves us to wonder if graduate school should also be included in a "basic" education. funding Masters and Doctorate studies for all who believe they are entitled to this further educational pursuit.

No, I believe that we have satisfied our commitment as a nation to providing a free, basic education at the end of Grade 12. Anything further should be on the student's (or their parent's) dime.

Also included in the crowd with the legitimate protestors are dedicated agitants, anarchists, and ne'er-do-wells, intent on wreacking havoc.

I must say at this point that I do not understand the opposition to Bill 78 -- not by the students themselves, of course -- by unions and rights groups, and by many individuals.

If I wanted to hold a parade I would have to get a permit from City Hall, which would include submitting a route plan to the Police well in advance -- weeks, typically -- of the event. I fail to see why submitting a route plan for a protest march 48 hours in advance is denying anyone's rights to free speech.

No one is saying they cannot protest: what is prohibited is wearing masks and committing acts of vandalism and violence.

The latest news article on the "negotiations" is that an offer to reduce the tuition increase to $35 was unanimously rejected by the student associations. This tells me that, indeed, the protest is not about the money.

It also tells me that the students have no desire to negotiate a settlement: they want what they want and they will accept no compromise.

Unfortunately, other than a zero tuition increase, or perhaps the elimination of tuition altogether, I cannot fathom what it is they want.

Yes, there are some things worth fighting for, and a prolonged and determined protest can bring about tremendous results. However, to compare this protest to the Arab Spring is, frankly, foolish.

The Arab protestors were attempting to free themselves from oppression and tyrrany, and were being shot in the street for their efforts. They were protesting dictatorships that did not allow any expression of personal opinion that spoke against the government -- those who did object would be arrested and tortured (torture not being defined as being held against one's will in a bus or detention centre, only to be released unharmed hours later) or even executed.

The Arab protestors were striving to bring democracy to their countries. (Deomcracy is not where one group sets an agenda and refuses to back down unless all their demands are met.)

Canadian students are facing nothing of the sort, however hard-done by they may feel.

No, I cannot support the students in their protest.

But... that's just my opinion.


What's next?


If you would like to apply to become a Verified reader Verified Commenter, please fill out this form.