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May 17, 2012 - No. 71 Quebec No to Charest Government's Special Law
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Quebec
• Oppose Charest Government's Special Law to
Criminalize the Students - Marxist-Leninist Party of Quebec
• Congratulations to the Quebec Youth!
- TML Editorial
• May 16 Mass Demonstrations in Montreal,
Quebec
City and Other Cities
Statements
• Broad Coalition for Student Union Solidarity
• Quebec Federation of University Students
• Quebec Student Roundtable
• Quebec Trade Union Centrals
Quebec
Oppose Charest Government's Special Law to Criminalize the Students
The Marxist-Leninist Party of Quebec (PMLQ) condemns the Charest government for its decision to adopt a special law to criminalize the Quebec students, teachers, professors and all those who engage in civil disobedience to protest the increase in student fees. The government's refusal to negotiate a political solution to the crisis and instead resort to criminalization is unacceptable and will further deepen the crisis.
The PMLQ deplores all the irrational self-serving arguments used to justify the criminalization of the youth. The government, the media and various experts dogmatically present the view that the democratic institutions must be respected otherwise there is anarchy. In this way they directly blame the students for the anarchy and violence that prevails at this time in Quebec.
In fact, it is the usurpation of these institutions by governments in the service of the private interests of the monopolies and the use of police powers that is responsible for the anarchy and violence in which our society is mired. We condemn this special law for depriving civil society of its ability to negotiate a settlement which is just. The use of police powers including repressive laws, police, courts and jails is what gives way to anarchy and violence, not the just demands of the students!
The problem escapes no one that today the public institutions have been usurped to pay the rich and launch a vicious anti-social offensive to destroy social programs, attack unions, sign secret deals and sellout Quebec. The scams which have been carried out to achieve this are revealed every single day but still the governments and their media blame the students who are standing up to say these scams are not acceptable. It is the students who are defending the right to education and want to see the CEGEPs and universities flourish, not Charest. It is the students who are defending the interests of Quebec, not Charest.
Monopoly right must not be permitted to trump public right! To blame the students for the democratic institutions' failure to earn their respect is ridiculous. The blame is on those who destroy the public institutions to make them serve private interests.
The more the Charest government fails to establish its dictate, the more it will criminalize political life and the student's right to conscience and civil disobedience. Its preoccupation that the students could well also defy the draconian legislation it proposes to adopt shows that it has a bad conscience. Let us stand as one against this law, against the use of police powers, in support of the students and join them to defend the interests of Quebec!
The youth with their exceptional spirit of resistance and defiance to what is unjust represent the change which society requires. They will clean out the corruption which the Charest government represents with its schemes to pay the rich and escalation of the anti-social offensive.
For
a Modern Quebec that Upholds the Rights of All!
Oppose the Special Law! Oppose the Use of Police Powers!
Congratulations to the Quebec Youth!
"The nation against the tuition hike"; "Democracy: government where the people exercise sovereignty."
TML congratulates the Quebec youth for having the courage of their convictions and standing up to the bullying of Jean Charest and his government. The youth are able to eloquently explain why what they are proposing for higher education is good for Quebec. They have proven to have utmost fidelity to the common good in all their dealings on this matter. All along they have put forward proposals which would permit society to solve the problem of financing higher education in a manner that would open the prospective for Quebec to flourish. This includes their proposal for a national commission of inquiry into how to finance higher education. They insist the people must exercise control over the inquiry and the information so that the society can draw warranted conclusions. This is necessary because of the government's track record of secret deals, disinformation and use of treachery in negotiations. Only those who have something to hide can be against such a proposal.
The rejection of this proposal by the Premier and his government indicates precisely that they have something to hide -- what they are doing with the money of the people assigned to higher education. Who benefits from their P3s and secret deals with the monopolies? The inability of the Premier and his government to defend their neo-liberal agenda by discussing facts in hand who it serves shows why they are cowardly and resort to police powers to defend their rule. They are not able to argue their convictions to explain to the people why the neo-liberal agenda is good for Quebec because it is not good for Quebec.
All out to support the youth who seek to break the existential crisis the rich and their representatives in government are imposing on society. The workers and the parents and grandparents of the youth must support them actively because without the energy and conviction of the younger generation, the working class movement, the social justice movement and the movement for a healthy natural and social environment will be unable to defend the rights of all. The neoliberal avalanche only operates through trickery and secret deals to hide what the ruling elites are doing to the people. It is necessary to expose this to the light of day.
Down with neoliberal corruption! Down with the cowardice of police powers and those who cannot defend civil society with negotiations because they have something to hide! Long live the courageous youth of Quebec! They have not only shown the courage of their convictions, but also that they have the organizational capacity a civil society needs. Support them as they now face increasing police powers.
May 16 Mass Demonstrations in Montreal, Quebec City and Other Cities
One of the night demonstrations on May 16 in Montreal where more than 5,000 students took to the streets. Throughout the course of the evening the demonstration grew to 10,000 strong. Sign reads: "Injunctions = an outrage to democracy!"
Premier Jean Charest announced at a press conference on May 16 evening that his government will table special legislation to suspend until August the academic session of the 14 CEGEPs and 11 university faculties that are on strike, unless agreements are reached with local institutions. The classes would resume in August and the fall session would start in October.
The law will include other measures "to prevent the disruption of classes, to make it dissuasive for the immediate and the future," Charest said. It will guarantee access to the CEGEPs and universities by introducing offences that carry heavy penalties for those who defy the law, he said.
Having refused to negotiate and instead used the police, tear gas, clubs and other means, Charest had the gall to say he wants to defend the right to education and guarantee access to education by respecting the laws and democracy.
The anger of the students and their allies over the special law was transformed into determination to continue their just struggle for the right to higher education. On May 16 three demonstrations were held in Montreal, including one at 11:00 pm which rallied more than 10,000 people until the early hours of the morning.
Shouting "No law will break us," the students expressed their defiance. The police forces once again used an incident to declare the demonstration illegal and proceeded to arrest more than 100 demonstrators.
Actions were also held in Quebec City, Sherbrooke and other cities. Many actions are planned for today.
In Montreal, thousands of students held a mass protest, the latest of their nightly actions. Marching behind a banner that read “The special law won’t stand up to the strike,” they militantly denounced the Charest government’s special law and affirmed their conviction in their just demands in defence of their right to education. Once again, they were confronted with a massive presence of riot squads and more police violence. (McGill Daily)
Quebec City
In Quebec City, thousands of students took to the streets, steadfast in their demands and in defiance of the special law tabled by the Charest government. They marched behind banners reading “The fight continues!” and “Solidarity against the tuition hike.” They chanted slogans denouncing the Charest government’s corruption and called for it to resign. A sit in was held at the corner of Charest and Saint-Vallier where the students held a moment of silence for all those who have been injured or imprisoned by the brutal police violence against the students. (N. Phébus)
Statements
Broad Coalition for Student Union Solidarity Firmly Condemns Special Law and Calls for Stepped Up Mobilization to Force Charest Government to Back Off
In a press scrum on May 16, the spokespersons of the Broad Coalition of Student Union Solidarity (CLASSE) firmly condemned the Charest government for announcing a special law against the struggle of the Quebec students against the tuition fee hike.
The representatives first set the record straight against the Charest government's slander that the students fighting the hike are the minority and that the government has been open to a true dialogue with the students. They pointed out that the last offer of the government was rejected by more than 366,000 students which constitute the vast majority of the Quebec students. On March 22 more than 200,000 people demonstrated in the streets of Montreal against the fee hike and that at the peak of the strike over 75 percent of Quebec students were on strike.
"Throughout the strike, Charest has been at all times arrogant and high handed, trying to marginalize our movement which is a historic movement. How can this government now look the people in the eye and say he has been open and respectful?" co-spokesperson Jeanne Reynolds, asked.
Her co-spokesperson Gabriel Nadeau-Dubois condemned the special law.
"The law that was just announced by the Liberal government is anti-union, repressive and authoritarian. It is an example of authoritarianism which is something totally unacceptable. It is an attack on the right to strike of the students, a right that has been recognized for a long time in the educational institutions and by the governments. This is a government which prefers hitting the youth rather than listening to them. This is going to have serious consequences for the future of Quebec. It is going to greatly affect our trust in the institutions and in the government itself."
The CLASSE representatives highlighted that the special law is a sign of the failure of the Charest government to solve the conflict.
"This law is not going to calm the situation, it is merely going to inflame it. It is going to intensify confrontation. The Charest government's move tonight is the move of a loser. It has been unable to solve the conflict on the basis of negotiations with the students. It has proven itself to be unable to listen to its youth. In that sense, this move is a proof that this government has lost."
Far from stopping the students in their mobilization to force the Charest government to withdraw its tuition fee hike, this move of the Charest government, will be met with even more mobilization, the CLASSE representative said.
"We are calling for the mobilization to be stepped up. Next week, on May 22, we expect tens of thousands of people in the streets of Montreal to remind the Charest government that it is not going to silence the youth and all those who are opposed to its outlook with laws and truncheons. We are calling on people to take the streets tonight, tomorrow, and every day if need be until the fall to force the Charest government to back off."
(Translated from the original French by TML.)
Quebec Federation of
University Students
Condemns Special Law
The Quebec Federation of University Students (FEUQ) firmly condemns the decision of the Charest government to pass a special law against the Quebec students, a law, the FEUQ states, that will only inflame the dispute between the government and the students.
"By going forward with this law, Jean Charest is throwing oil on the fire. He can only sort out the conflict by discussing with the elected representatives of the students. It is not right to impose the dictates of a Party to the youth of a nation," said Martine Desjardins, President of the FEUQ.
Already, with the comments made by Education Minister Courchesne in the morning, the FEUQ feared for the worst and its suspicions that the die was cast and that these discussions were a farce were proven later on. "This government has become past master in the art of saying one thing in private and doing the exact opposite in public amidst a public relations circus. It is obvious that the law that was announced was already written, that the government had already taken the decision to impose it unilaterally. How can a government that pretends to represent all Quebeckers create such a circus to serve its ideological interests?" said the FEUQ president.
In the latest discussions [with the government], the FEUQ has clearly shown that it is working for a solution and it tried to argue out alternatives but these were systematically rejected by the government representatives. "On the issue of the tuition fee hike, the federation has proven that it is not necessary, that there is money available somewhere else and that the fee hike would have a major impact on the accessibility of education. We were all able to see that the decision to increase the fees is purely ideological. Even within this framework, the federation tried to argue out that there are alternatives to sort out the crisis. We were not listened to. The government never made even a single move until it imposed this special law. The government is using the state to legitimize an ideological stand," said Martine Desjardins.
FEUQ is stating once again that the special law is not going to solve the dispute between the government and the students. "Once again, this government refuses to talk to the students, it rejects the proposals for a compromise they are bringing to the table and it favours confrontation all the way. This is a government that is trying to pit Quebec against its youth and is creating a cleavage that should not be there," Martine Desjardins concluded.
(Translated from the original French by TML.)
Quebec Student Roundtable Denounces Special Law
The Quebec Student Roundtable (TaCEQ) deplores the Liberal government's tabling of a special law to suspend the semester of the students on strike. The government is putting the student associations against the wall, forcing them to reach an agreement with the administrations of the schools that are on strike. It is totally unreasonable to give them such a short time to reach an agreement and the net result will be the suspension of classes. The intent is to break their mobilization which will have very negative consequences for the students.
The fact that Premier Charest has carefully avoided giving any details on what measures will be taken to force the students back to school is worrisome. "He is calling for social peace, for democracy and security while it is the thousands of youth and regular and casual teachers who are going to be facing the trauma of the heavy repression that is going to take place," said Paul-Émile Auger, General-Secretary of TaCEQ.
The debate around the tuition fee hike is far from over and this law shows very clearly that the government is not open to genuine negotiations. "TaCEQ is calling once again for negotiations on the tuition fee hike. It is not the first time that the government is avoid solving a deep social crisis by promoting a semblance of solution that is actually going to inflame the situation. This law is unacceptable and has nothing to do with solving the problem," deplored Auger.
Since the beginning of the campaign against the tuition fee hike, TaCEQ has put forward concrete fiscal alternatives that could guarantee the accessibility to university education without tuition fees having to be raised.
(Translated from the original French by TML.)
A Totally Unjustified Special Law
"Fourteen weeks later, as a special law is being tabled, we are blaming the Liberal government for not only being in denial of the real world but for negating democracy. This shows its inability to deal in a suitable manner with a social crisis. We believe that far from avoiding disruptions this move will inflame the social climate even more and increase the divisions amongst the population. We are asking the government and its Premier to put this law on ice and do everything possible to quickly reach a negotiated settlement of this crisis. Yesterday evening, that seemed to be within reach," said the presidents of the Confederation of the National Trade Unions (CSN), the Quebec Trade Union Central (CSQ) and the Quebec Federation of Labour (FTQ).
It is a known fact that this government has created great anger with its refusal to open a dialogue with the student associations right when the strike began and with its decision to present its first offer directly to the public without talking to the students first. It took 10 weeks before serious discussions began. The government's tactlessness the day after an agreement was reached only created distrust. As a whole, there have been only a few hours of real debate with the students and we must not forget that the government never really put on the table the issue of the tuition fee hike. It is because of the fee hike that the students voted to go on strike and it is the fee hike that caused not only the biggest demonstrations in Quebec history but a sustained mobilization.
It is important to keep in mind that for the students the tuition fee hike is a matter of what kind of society we want and the trade unions support this stand. "Like the students, we are saying that education cannot be dealt with as a commodity and that accessibility to post-secondary education has to be maintained. The most recent studies on student indebtedness in the U.S. speak eloquently and show that we must not follow this road. Besides, in the course of these 14 weeks, it has been widely proven that the vast majority of the students are opposed to the tuition fee hike. Some students who belong to departments that usually do not use pressure tactics decided this time to show their opposition by going on strike for a few days or wearing the red square while in class. The government makes a mistake by trying to isolate those who are on strike," say the trade union representatives.
Recognition of Student Associations
According to the trade union representatives, the Liberal government acts as if it does not recognize the legitimacy of the student associations. This is deplorable. The Premier, who is also Minister of Youth, is sending them a wrong message. "This is their first experience with the exercise of democracy and their rights are being trampled. This is an abuse of power. The government had all the time it needed if it wanted to sort out the dispute through discussion. We are worried that this abuse of power will only exacerbate the conflict and the tensions in the educational institutions. We have always said that democracy cannot be reduced to voting. Anger and animosity is a dead end for all of us. If the government refuses to negotiate at this time, rather than passing a special law, it should go for the option of a moratorium and the Estates General [a national commission]. This would also allow for a pause that is obviously badly needed."
"We want to remind the Premier that we have never condoned violence and we are telling this government once again, as so many people are warning them today, that tabling a special law, something that is tantamount to a coup, has the unfortunate risk of inflaming the situation," the trade union representatives concluded.
(Translated from the original French by TML.)
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