Showing posts with label student movement. Show all posts
Showing posts with label student movement. Show all posts

Monday, June 11, 2012

More Casseroles Nights in Canada

Since the epic concert de Casseroles video that went viral on May 24, the rest of Canada has stepped up to show solidarity with the students in Quebec (and a broader popular movement of citizens concerned about the draconian and far-reaching "loi special" Law 78).

View the June 13th Facebook event page here.

Tuesday, June 5, 2012

Casseroles Night in Canada, round 2, June 6th, 8 PM at Harbourside Park

UPDATED POST:

So-so-so-Solidarité!

St. John's citizens gather at Harbourside Park before the march.
Casseroles solidarity marching up George Street:



Solidarity march making it's way to the banks...




EARLIER POST:

St. John's citizens made themselves heard on the first Casseroles Night in Canada on May 30, and are invited to meet up at Harbourside Park for round two on Wednesday June 6th around 8 PM.

St. John's Casseroles Facebook event page

National Casseroles Event event page

People of all ages are welcome!

Bring your pots and pans, and something to hit them with! If anyone has any suggestions as to how to make this event bigger and better, please share in comments.

Leave your house at 8pm and clang your way down to Harbourside Park. Hopefully the noise will attract others to join in! When we get to the park, keep making noise and see how big of a crowd we can gather!



The news source Rabble.ca has called for weekly Casseroling to continue showing solidarity with the student movement in Quebec and disapproval for Quebec's Law 78, which restricts Canadian's civil liberties, but to also make our discontent over Bill C-38 heard loud and clear. Let those in power know that Canadians are paying attention!

Members of Occupy NL have also created a postcard (front and back downloadable from that link) that you can send to your MP about the ominous, undemocratic Omnibus bill C-38.

See you in the streets!



Sunday, May 27, 2012

Concert de Casseroles in NEWFOUNDLAND to Support Quebecois Students


Concert de Casseroles in NEWFOUNDLAND to Support Students in Quebec

Concert de casseroles (concert of pots and pans) in support of the demands of the Québec students and against law 78. 

TONIGHT - Sunday, May 27th, 8:00 p.m., at Harbourside Park.  

Show your colours: wear red, especially a red square!

This is not organized by an "organization"; we are doing this to demonstrate our support for the Québec demonstrations, and we are doing this to show we value civil rights.

-----------------------------------
What's a pots and pans concert?

Wondering what the student strike has to do with you?

Wondering what Law 78 is all about?


Facebook event: https://www.facebook.com/events/306691286086521/
Related posts:
Our General Assembly will take place directly after this event, at around 8:30 at Harbourside Park

Update:  Here's the CBC article about the event

Friday, May 25, 2012

University Tuition in Canada: some historical perspective.

A recurring argument in news commentary about the Quebec student strike is that Quebeckers pay the lowest university tuition in the country so they have no justification to protest tuition hikes.  These commentators tend to frame prevailing tuition rates in Ontario and BC as "normal", and thus the Quebec tuition rates as abnormally low.

I think a little bit of historical perspective is in order.  Here is a chart presenting average annual tuition and fees for bachelor's degree programs in Canada's four largest provinces (plus NL).  The figures are corrected for inflation, in constant 2012 dollars.

Click graph to expand
















Wednesday, May 23, 2012

UPDATED POST: On the student movement in Quebec

Massive student protests ongoing in Montreal -- on March 22nd, 200,000 protesters took part in a demonstration in downtown Montreal . Exactly a month later, on Earth Day, another 200,000 people took to the streets. And yet another month later, only picking up steam, a wave of people in red packed downtown Montreal on May 22nd, nearing 300,000 strong.


Great recap: Ten Things Everyone Should Know about the Quebec Student Movement
In response to the emergency law passed, Law 78, people have this to say: Arrest me!

Downtown Montreal on May 22, 2012

Concordia Student Union General Assembly operates using horizontal decision making like that used by the Occupy movement, and they spearheaded the student strike originating at Concordia. More info here about how this started.

For up-to-date and reliable info on the Montreal student protests, check out the Montreal Media Co-op and Concordia University TV (CUTV) to watch the recap videos and livestreams from the student protests.

Resources

You can also visit the Concordia Student Union site. And the McGill Student Union has a Student Strike FAQ up on their site.

Visit the CLASSE website for more info as well. CLASSE is a temporary national student organization that includes, across Quebec, more than 76,000 members in many student unions from both colleges and universities. 

Visit the MobSquad website for info on the campaign against tuition hikes.


ONGOING UPDATES:



Thursday, March 22, 2012

Massive student protests in Montreal

RECENT DEVELOPMENTS

The Maple Spring is important to all Canadians, and not just Quebec. Here's why.

That's why Gabriel Nadeau-Dubois, past student leader of CLASSE, has undertaken a cross-Canada speaking tour to help spread the message of resisting austerity and defeating the stranglehold of neoliberalism across this country.

  ~~~~~~
Massive student protests have been ongoing in Montreal since March 22nd, when 200,000 protesters took part in a demonstration in downtown Montreal. Exactly a month later, on Earth Day, another 200,000 people took to the streets. And yet another month later, only picking up steam, a wave of people in red packed downtown Montreal on May 22nd, more than 300,000 strong.

June 22, as expected, was a massive show of solidarity across Canada (and of course massive amounts of people on the streets of Montreal and across Quebec).

Every month has a 22nd, so here's to ongoing shows of solidarity and support! Check out the global call to resistance on the 22nd of every month.

As of Sept 20th, after the inauguration of Pauline Marois' minority Parti Quebecois government (and the defeat of Jean Charest's government (he was also defeated in his own riding)), the tuition fee hikes have been repealed.  However, the Concordia Graduate Students Association, still fighting for a very realistic goal of free education in the province, along with other student groups such as CLASSE, will show that they are still organized and come out for a demo on Sept 22.

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Click here for a refresher on what this conflict is about: The Conflict: 101 
Here is a great explanation of the context for the current mobilisation of students in Quebec. Free education is not a new idea, neither is it impossible. In fact, "it was the state’s very own idea on the recommendation of a Royal Commission, a choice that was respected and prized for four decades."

Downtown Montreal on May 22, 2012
Great recap: Ten Things Everyone Should Know about the Quebec Student Movement.

In response to the emergency law passed, Law 78, people have this to say: Arrest me!

Concordia Student Union General Assembly operates using horizontal decision making like that used by the Occupy movement, and they spearheaded the student strike originating at Concordia. More info here about how this started. View this video on the 8 Myths of Tuition Hikes.

For up-to-date and reliable info on the Montreal student movement, check out the Montreal Media Co-op and Concordia University TV (CUTV) to watch the recap videos and livestream from the student protests.

Resources

You can also visit the Concordia Student Union site. And the McGill Student Union has a Student Strike FAQ up on their site.

Visit the CLASSE website for more info as well. CLASSE is a temporary national student organization that includes, across Quebec, more than 76,000 members in many student unions from both colleges and universities. 

Visit the MobSquad website for info on the campaign against tuition hikes.

Click here for more images from the March 22 demonstrations.


ONGOING UPDATES:



April 20th -- CUTV footage of violent police encounter with student protesters

April 20th -- Footage of protests at the Montreal Palais des Congres

April 22th-- Crowd shot of Earth Day protest

April 28th -- Montreal demonstrators march in protest of Jean Charest  (here's why)

May 4th -- Montreal Students Stage Nearly-Nude Protests

May 14th -- Quebec's Education Minister Resigns as Protests Continue

May 17th -- Montreal students occupy University of Quebec

May 17th -- Quebec announces emergency law to restore order and thousands protest in Montreal

May 19th -- Quebec steps closer to martial law to repress students

May 22nd -- Anatomy of a conflict after 100 days of student protest

May 30 -- We are immense (translated from Le Devoir)

June 3 -- Protests shine spotlight on skewed priorities

June 7 -- Canada's Maple Spring (via Aljazeera)

June 22 -- Highlights from the Streets of Montreal 

Sept 20 -- It's official: Quebec tuition hikes are history (proof that radical movements can win).