Student Struggle in Quebec

[Capitalist Octopus]

So for the last year (maybe?) students in Quebec have been protesting against proposed tuition increases. These tuition increases would see tuition increase by $325 every year for 5 years, a raise of 75%.

There are now just over 200 000 students on strike in Quebec, and this Thursday we are having our province wide anti-increase march in Montreal. We had a "practice" one earlier, in November, which saw about 35 000 come out. This one will attract far far more, and things could get crazy.

This is shaping up to be the biggest general student strike in Quebec history.

There have been all kinds of reactionary arguments, liberal BS, and the likes in the last few months, and at my school there's a witchhunt for the "radical minority" that is supposedly controlling the school. It's been a real lesson so far in politics, and I think this is the first thing that's managed to get me involved. I'll try to keep this updated with developments, but, any questions? I guess I'm not sure what to post right off the bat and I don;t want to flood the first post/

[Libertador]

What's changed?

If more government money is available to students universities are going to jack the prices up as that means they will get the original tuition cost in addition to whatever else the government is giving students. This is what happens when you have profit-driven universities, even when they're public they place money over the quality of education and the student.

[Capitalist Octopus]

What's changed?

If more government money is available to students universities are going to jack the prices up as that means they will get the original tuition cost in addition to whatever else the government is giving students. This is what happens when you have profit-driven universities, even when they're public they place money over the quality of education and the student.

Crucial difference between tuition money and government money though is that the government money has to be spent in certain ways, that benefit the students. Or at least benefit them to a greater extent than the tuition money, which is essentially just a, do what you want with it, from my understanding. Alot of it ends up going to pay administrators, instead of hiring profs, improving conditions on campus, etc.

[TheGodlessUtopian]

Keep up the struggle comrade, and keep us informed :cool:

[Libertador]

Crucial difference between tuition money and government money though is that the government money has to be spent in certain ways, that benefit the students. Or at least benefit them to a greater extent than the tuition money, which is essentially just a, do what you want with it, from my understanding. Alot of it ends up going to pay administrators, instead of hiring profs, improving conditions on campus, etc.
But my point is that universities often raise the cost of tuition in relation to the amount of subsidization, thereby burdening the student even more.

[Capitalist Octopus]

Keep up the struggle comrade, and keep us informed :cool:
Will do. :)

[Capitalist Octopus]

But my point is that universities often raise the cost of tuition in relation to the amount of subsidization, thereby burdening the student even more.

Of course.

[Libertador]

Of course.
So my question is, again, what's changed? Is this related to a teachers' union demanding higher wages or the fact that universities in Québec have begun expanding at unusually high rates?

[Capitalist Octopus]

So my question is, again, what's changed? Is this related to a teachers' union demanding higher wages or the fact that universities in Québec have begun expanding at unusually high rates?

The government claims that the universities are currently underfunded (not true). They want to increase the tuition to counterbalance this supposedly. It's essentially the same justification that is always used. That way people get all worked up about making sure their degree is valuable, and thus support the tuition hikes.

[Parvati]

I'm also a student in Quebec, being part of this struggle. For information, the concrete attack is a tuition fees hike of 1665$ per year, an hike of 75%.

As a supporter of the embryo of the Revolutionary Student Movement, I'm involved in the movement, but on anticapitalist and revolutionary bases, critical of the Pro-compromise Reformist leadership of Student Unions, so my perspective is based on this. It's sure that the movement for now is massive, over 1 out of 2 students is now on strike, but the political discourse of the movement is very low, limited to an opportunist economic. For sure, the masses of poor and precarious students are right to rebel against this capitalist attack, but their revolt, anger and energy are canalized by the strictly reformist movement. We produced a few years ago a document on the Perspectives for the Student Movement in Quebec, that is available in french on the MER blog (www.mer-pcr.com), but also in English if you Private Message me!

[TheGodlessUtopian]

I'm also a student in Quebec, being part of this struggle. For information, the concrete attack is a tuition fees hike of 1665$ per year, an hike of 75%.

As a supporter of the embryo of the Revolutionary Student Movement, I'm involved in the movement, but on anticapitalist and revolutionary bases, critical of the Pro-compromise Reformist leadership of Student Unions, so my perspective is based on this. It's sure that the movement for now is massive, over 1 out of 2 students is now on strike, but the political discourse of the movement is very low, limited to an opportunist economic. For sure, the masses of poor and precarious students are right to rebel against this capitalist attack, but their revolt, anger and energy are canalized by the strictly reformist movement. We produced a few years ago a document on the Perspectives for the Student Movement in Quebec, that is available in french on the MER blog (www.mer-pcr.com (http://www.mer-pcr.com)), but also in English if you Private Message me!

Send that english version my way please! :)

[Capitalist Octopus]

I'm also a student in Quebec, being part of this struggle. For information, the concrete attack is a tuition fees hike of 1665$ per year, an hike of 75%.

As a supporter of the embryo of the Revolutionary Student Movement, I'm involved in the movement, but on anticapitalist and revolutionary bases, critical of the Pro-compromise Reformist leadership of Student Unions, so my perspective is based on this. It's sure that the movement for now is massive, over 1 out of 2 students is now on strike, but the political discourse of the movement is very low, limited to an opportunist economic. For sure, the masses of poor and precarious students are right to rebel against this capitalist attack, but their revolt, anger and energy are canalized by the strictly reformist movement. We produced a few years ago a document on the Perspectives for the Student Movement in Quebec, that is available in french on the MER blog (www.mer-pcr.com (http://www.mer-pcr.com)), but also in English if you Private Message me!

It's 325 a year, not 1665.
That said, they're pushing to eventually have free education, and I think many of those participating (actually participating) are anti-capitalist.

[Parvati]

It's 325$ more every year on 5 years, so at the end (2017), it will be 1665$ each year.

I think that there is for sure a potential for more anticapitalist and revolutionary activities, a possibility of rallying the most progressive, radical and angry students, but by now they are under the political leadership of reformism.

[Parvati]

Something we wrote about the movement :

Considering that the student mobilization is mainly related to the $1,625 rising of university tuition fees on the part of the Charest government (in addition to budget cuts in CEGEPs), the Revolutionary Student Movement (MER-PCR) calls for an expansion of the fight. If rising tuition is an attack against our rights and those of the proletarian youth, we cannot oppose it while accepting all other assaults stemming from capitalism, including increasing fees in the health care system, cuts in pensions and layoffs that continue to multiply. We simply cannot tolerate becoming poorer while the rich become richer!
It has become quite clear that we must organize against these various attacks. There is now the potential for struggle, a fact that expresses itself in the many people affected by the crisis of capitalism who are willing to fight —an incredibly positive development. Traditionally, however, defensive struggles against government attacks are waged in a disorganized manner: the students are fighting for their rights, workers are struggling on their part, community groups are defending others, etc. Sometimes this works, but we are often unable to win anything in this manner.

Getting organized is not enough. To do things properly —in a way that leads the proletariat to victory— we must organize using the necessary means to fight and win.

Some of us are fed up with the routine way of organizing, in which the most important objective appears to be “feeling good” about what we are doing. Let’s leave it to others to take care of their consciences! What interests us is to organize a militant response. This will allow us to fight against both arbitrary and artificial divisions within the working class, along with the different struggles that are waged: popular, labour, student, etc. The situation is clear: we have only one enemy —the capitalist system— and our response must be common and include not only students but all oppressed people. For that reason, we invite students to join the various committees and anti-capitalist meetings to be held during the strike.

Because for the Revolutionary Student Movement, anti-capitalism must be something more than speeches: it must develop as a real practice in the class struggle.

[Le Rouge]

I'm going to that demo. We will change the world! :cool:
March 22nd at Montreal.

I will cease to be a student this summer, but i will always walk with you.

[Capitalist Octopus]

So today is the big demo everyone.
If you wish to follow updates on twitter, I think the hashtag used will be #manifencours
I'll update when I get back !

[TheGodlessUtopian]

So today is the big demo everyone.
If you wish to follow updates on twitter, I think the hashtag used will be #manifencours
I'll update when I get back !

Can't wait to hear it!

[Capitalist Octopus]

I'm very happy to report that there was over 200 fucking thousand people marching through the streets today, making it the largest student protest in North American history.

Also, no violence, no arrests, no property damage. Completely peaceful.

Here's a time lapse of the beginning of the march.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IH0tfvSZkcc

[marl]

Fantastic news!