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Winnipeg Free Press - PRINT EDITION
Quebec students' credibility problem
222The fact representatives of the student protest movement reacted to Charest's comments with great anger says a lot about how this protest in Quebec has moved past acceptable. The legislation is, in some ways, heavy-handed. But would it exist had protesters behaved differently?
As Canadians, we all have the freedom -- the right -- to protest situations we believe to be unjust, unfair or just plain wrong. That's a given.
So we do not condemn post-secondary students in Quebec for protesting proposed tuition increases. Certainly outside the province, it may rankle that students in Quebec face substantially lower tuition fees than their counterparts in the rest of the country. But that does not diminish the right of Quebec students to take a stand, demonstrate their displeasure. In doing so, however, they have a responsibility to conduct themselves in a lawful manner. To do otherwise undermines the credibility of the protest.
The protests were sparked by the Charest government's plan to add $1,625 to the annual cost of post-secondary education by 2016. At $2,519, the current average annual cost to attend a Quebec university is cheap compared with fees in other provinces. Even with the increase, Quebec students would face lower bills for post-secondary education than students outside Quebec.
More than 120,000 students have gone "on strike," opting out of attending classes while the dispute continues. Fair enough. But some students wanted to attend classes and have a court injunction that allows them to do so. Last week, protesters invaded classrooms and went nose-to-nose with fellow students, intimidating them physically and verbally, ultimately resulting in the cancellation of classes.
Put that together with what is likely a small percentage of protesters who have destroyed property and incited violence, and the point of the struggle becomes muddied in the melee.
As individuals, we have the right to protest. We also have the right not to. We do not have the right to force others to follow our example.
It's likely the majority of protesting students upheld their responsibilities. But, as with the Occupy movement in Toronto, the credibility of the protest as a whole can be seriously damaged by a handful of people pushing beyond legality. And it can be incredibly difficult to earn back credibility.
Republished from the Winnipeg Free Press print edition May 24, 2012 A11
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