Last Wednesday, students from McGill University, l’Université du Québec à Montréal (UQAM), and several CEGEPs in the downtown Montreal area participated in a demonstration for free education.
Organized by McGill students, Wednesday’s demonstration was one of many in the growing student movement against the Quebec provincial government’s proposed tuition increases, which would come into effect this fall.
“Awareness is part of it,” Ethan Feldman, U3 philosophy student, said. “However, we advertised [this demonstration] as a support rally for student action against tuition hikes.”
Around 100 students assembled in front of the SSMU building at 11:00 a.m.
At 11:30 a.m., the crowd of demonstrators moved to the Leacock Building and marched through the hallways towards the Arts Building, playing drums and chanting slogans. After passing through the McLennan Library chanting “McGill on strike!” they gathered in the McLennan lobby.
McGill community member Nancy Crowe was present in McLennan at the time, supporting the demonstrators.
“I believe in accessible education,” Crowe said. “It doesn’t have to be free, but it should be affordable. The tuition increases will have students come out [of university] with more debt than they can handle.”
After exiting McLennan, the demonstrators left the McGill campus and marched towards UQAM, taking main roads such as President-Kennedy, St. Catherine, and Sherbrooke along the way.
This demonstration is part of an attempt by students to raise support for the anti-tuition increase movement. After months of protests and demonstrations, many students across the province are opting for an unlimited general strike.
“We’ve spent a whole year trying to have our voices heard,” a second year law student who could only be identified as Dominique, said. “A strike is our last resort … it’s a good way of showing how important [education] is.”
“Many faculties and CEGEPs are already on strike in Montreal and in the West Island,” Mona Luxion, a PhD urban planning student, said. “McGill, Concordia, and UQAM are still in the ‘in-between’ position.”
According to the ‘Stop the Hike’ website, as of March 5, 96 student unions representing approximately 123,265 students are currently on strike, including student associations from Collège Lionel-Groulx, CÉGEP de Drummondville, CÉGEP du Vieux-Montréal, and CÉGEP St-Laurent.
In addition, there are 13 unions representing approximately 9,461 students who have a strike mandate and are currently waiting to begin.
Some students have remarked that a large percentage of pro-strike students at McGill appear to be arts students, with less mobilization in other faculties. Coalition large de l’Association pour une solidarité syndicale étudiante (CLASSE) committee member Jérémie Bédard-Wien says this is unusual in comparison to other campuses.
“Many different faculties … have chosen to go on strike. The science and education faculties at UQAM have voted in favour of the strike … CEGEPs have a wide range of technical programs and they have voted for the strike,” Bédard-Wien said. “The most striking for me is the faculty of medicine at Université de Montréal, who voted to go on strike the week of the 20th.”
Bédard-Wien also offered an explanation for why pro-strike mobilization has been less intense at McGill than at other colleges and universities.
“Students at McGill have organized around different issues in the past, but mostly around issues that are pertinent only to McGill,” he said.
“There has been a historical barrier between francophones and anglophones in terms of progressive issues,” Bédard-Wien said. “That is why the movement this year on anglophone campuses is historic.”
Outside of McGill, numerous strike votes will continue to take place between now and March 20 at Concordia University, Université de Montréal, and other CEGEPs and universities across the province.
“We are not going on a general strike because we feel like it,” Bédard-Wien said. “We’re doing it because it’s our last card to play.”
