Is the Montreal Student Strike the End of Canada as We Know it? Editorial by Jamie Gilcig

CFN – Ah what interesting times we live in…   The Montreal Student protest is becoming International news.  Countless pieces have been written about it by hundreds of people…

As a former Montrealer who grew up during the 70’s, the heart of linguistic purges in Quebec I saw first hand how Quebec language politics work.

This strike really isn’t about tuition hikes.  It’s about a lot of things.  Mostly it’s about the Harper government sticking an angry cat with a sharp stick until it hissed enough to take to the streets.

This protest has become so many things to so many people it truly is hard to nail it down.  What exactly will the province be negotiating with the students?   The PQ have done what the PQ does best; promise something it knows the province can’t really afford to pay for with no solution which in a bad economy is of course going to be devastating.

For me having read countless reports and opinions it comes down to what happens when people don’t vote.  When they are not a part of the process.

I can tell you that this is all part of a bigger shell game to break down Canada so that US interests can press our sovereignty even further than they have been; that while these students are protesting a few shekels per year in tuition Medicare as we know it is being destroyed and our freedoms and rights limited each and every day in increments, but it’s not as exciting as this video now is it?

or this one

But isn’t it odd as one of the largest provinces in a country of ten provinces is boiling over and very well could overthrow the duly elected government that our Prime minister is all but silent?  Where art thou Mr. Harper?  Even Thomas Mulcair is busy beating on Western Oil influence and the tarsands.

Bob Rae?  Et tu Brutus?

See this gets back to us not voting enough in Canada or being well enough informed.  If I stop with a video camera on a busy city street anyway in Canada I bet people will be able to name more of the American Idol finalists than provincial premiers or city councilors where they live.

Quebec set a precedent in the last Federal election by turning their noses at the Bloc Quebecois and voting for a Federal party; the NDP who have the most seats in La belle Province.     Right now does anyone think that the Charest Government will make it to the next provincial election and if it does it can get re-elected?

Has the Harper government’s rejection of Quebec helped Canada?   Is anyone following the money?    This is going to get uglier folks and it’s not good for Canada or our economy.  It sure isn’t going to be good for Quebec which still has a lot of growing to do if it’s truly ever going to move forward within or without Canada.

Linguistic fascism is ugly.  The language insecurity issues resonated in the 70’s.  Forty years later it’s time to be grown ups and look at the big picture.   One of the reason’s the Harper Government has been so successful in sowing dissent is because of the punitive policies of Quebec and its utter refusal to play by the same rules as the other provinces and territories.

Canadians across this country have some big people decisions to make.  We all have to decide what kind of country we truly want to live in and then we actually have to find time to make that happen because time is running out.

As a wise old friend once shared with me;

If we don’t make our own decisions in life other will.

We truly need to start voting for leaders and not mouthpieces.  We need to realize that partisan politics ultimately are a huge fail for what’s best in any jurisdiction.    We need to be honest and we need to be accountable or what we are seeing now is what we get.  It’s that simple and crying out when you’re in the meat blender is too late.

Jamie Gilcig – Editor – The Cornwall Free News

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Cornwall Free News

13 Comments

  1. Good article. I’m still re-electing Harper.

  2. “When there is nothing left to burn, you have to set yourself on fire” is clearly

    more than lyric or prose.

    The Arab spring began when systemic government corruption and bribery

    reached so low as to shakedown a Tunisian street vendor named Mohamed

    Bouazizi. In desperation and defiance, he set himself on fire on December

    17, 2010 — the dictatorships of the Arab world are still falling around the act of

    this one dispossessed man.

    Corruption in Canadian politics and government does not compare to the cruel

    and brutal regimes that are falling in the Arab world. But a crushing burden is

    now being hoisted by our governments, that will drop squarely on the backs of

    our children, and generations to come.

    The cruelty that Canadians will face, is to live under corrupt laws and the

    twisted social values created for criminals that bankroll our politicians, and to

    carry the debt for the lavish lives to which our governors feel they are entitled.

    These corrupt, selfish and criminally reckless politicians are today’s “Château

    Clique” and “Family Compact”

    The striking students of Quebec and their supporters are taking to the streets

    now before they are dispossesed, before they have to set themselves on fire.

    What moronic government would think that these students or any other student

    can come out of school saddled with debt and be able to contribute to society

    and a productive economy?… Where is their damn logic or respect for our

    intelligence?

    These students are the very persons who will finance our old age even as we

    begin to steal their Old Age Security.

    If it takes civil disobedience, sobeit.

  3. GREAT ARTICLE JAMIE -ITS THE GREAT DIVIDE –
    THE BIGGER QUESTION IS WERE IS MUCLAIRE IN THIS ?

  4. Quebec is not the only angry province in Canada.

    People all over Canada are fed up with the corruption, lies, and deceit in government. They are sick of the waste of their tax dollars.

    Harper gives billions of our tax money to, banks, mines, oil and gas corporations and big business. They are also given huge tax reductions. This was seen on the House of Commons TV channel. Harper steals from us, to give to the wealthiest corporations in the world. Meanwhile he is slashing the services, we pay through the nose for. The robo-call election fraud. People are plain angry at harper.

  5. This article is incoherent. Harper shouldn’t interfere in provincial affairs and education is in provincial jurisdiction. This is Quebec’s problem. More specifically, it’s French Quebec’s problem since none of the English schools seem to be affected. Mulcair is actually quite correct in not speaking about the issue. Of course, he’d do even better to shut up about the resource industries in all provinces that are paying for Quebec’s public sector.

  6. Never underestimate the young, Jamie.

    Gloria has a point. The student rallies in Quebec may prove to be the first breath of fresh democratic air in the smog-ridden climate of Harper & Co.

  7. I agree with Exurban that this article is incoherent. You are reading too much into Quebec demonstrations, Jamie. If there is indeed something else beside tuition protest, perhaps Quebeckers sense that a free ride on the back of English Canada is coming to an end and they are trying to protect their “entitlements”.

    And, what do you want Harper to do, Jamie? To invoke War Measures Act????! For what?

  8. Excellent editorial.

    Some thoughts…

    About the tuition-hike scenario: Nobody would bat and eyelash if the world economy was humming and there were jobs for “capable” grads beyond working at Tim’s or Walmart.

  9. About the world in general: Some people actually think they’re “entitled” to a comfortable life (wealth, success, happiness).

    To them: have you read the news out of Syria today?

  10. About university degrees: A BA is the new Grade 8. Many university grads can’t (we’ve seen the evidence here on CFN) structure argument or write a sentence.

  11. About Charest defending Bill 78: He says the bill is about “defending” young Quebeckers’ rights to an education. (Right) That’s like the government of France saying that the banning of head coverings (for Muslim women) is about “defending” their rights.

  12. I almost feel sorry for Charest. His political life is over. But I bet his combined pensions will help him feed his family for a few years.

  13. If I was paying 17% of the cost for the average degree program, I would be overjoyed. Ontario students are paying about 35% and it looks like a few from the University of Ottawa are joining in now.
    Of course, U of O is more French so perhaps there is that connection of support. English schools and a majority of young people in French schools are not jumping into the Quebec nightly news staple, why the divide?

    I agree that we need to get people using a few minutes here and there to better educate themselves on politics and non Entertainment Tonight events, to make informed decisions at the polling place.

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