Tag: quebec

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Think hard before you vote PQ

Image via Flickr.
PQ chef Pauline Marois. Photo courtesy of Flickr.

Excitement is growing for the upcoming provincial election.

Concordia has closed its doors, leaving students with one less excuse not to go out and cast their vote. As of September 4, people will be rushing to the polls to decide who will be the next premier of Quebec. Can Jean Charest join a legend like Robert Bourassa and become the premier of Quebec an incredible four times? Only time will tell. I am, however, sure of one thing: we cannot have Pauline Marois and the Parti Quebecois lead Quebec.

“We are a sovereigntist party,” Marois once told reporters.

The PQ wants a sovereign Quebec. It is no secret and Marois has publicly said that she is ready to spend taxpayers’ money to promote her party’s vision of an independent Quebec, should they be elected.

The Liberal candidate for Nelligan, Yolande James, told CBC that she thinks this is absolutely preposterous.
“Not only will they be spending people’s tax money on working toward sovereignty studies, it’s not going to be clear what they will be doing,” said James. “They’re hiding their referendum because they’re afraid of losing the election.”

That being said, the Parti Quebecois has stated that they plan to implement news laws such as extending Bill 101 to apply to small businesses and introducing mandatory French language tests for civil servants. This is the type of legislation that could potentially limit people’s rights and freedoms in this province.

People living in Quebec should have more access to bilingualism, not less. They should be able to send their children to whichever school they want, to be able to open a business without their every move being scrutinized.

Over the course of the year, Marois appeared to be hoping to score many student votes by sporting a red square during her speeches, as well as supporting the student strike over the tuition hikes proposed by the Liberals. Where is the red square now? In late June, she decided to drop it, telling media stations that she will be sporting the fleur-de-lis instead.

Many students didn’t buy it.

“If she doesn’t wear the red square, she’s won the championship of hypocrisy,” said Charest to the Canadian Press when she stopped wearing it.

It seems quite unlikely that Marois will appeal to students much more than Charest in the upcoming election. Taking off her red square is a sign that she could end up taking the same position Charest did on the tuition hikes if elected, despite claiming to support the movement.

It’s no secret that Quebec is bleeding money of late, and at a time when we desperately need our funds to go to more urgent matters, who would choose to have it thrown away to promote a referendum that is so unlikely to pass?

It is clear that the PQ is the wrong choice in this upcoming elections, but far less clear who may be the right one. Whatever the case, don’t take a back seat on election day.

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Negotiations at an impasse: Education Minister

Negotiations between student leaders and the provincial government have come to a halt as the talks concerning the tuition crisis broke down in Quebec City on Thursday.

According to a statement from Education Minister Michelle Courchesne, the negotiations have reached an “impasse” and there is no going forward.

The government offered a new deal to student leaders during negotiations which would reduce the tuition increase to $219 a year over seven years for a total increase of $1,533. They also offered a second option of a small increase in the first year, followed by $254 a year over the next six years, which amounts to almost the same $1,625 total increase which was originally offered.

The representatives of the four major student organizations present at the meeting rejected both of the provincial government’s offers.

“For the student leaders it was a moratorium or nothing,” Courchesne said at a press conference held Thursday.

Martine Desjardins, president of the Fédération étudiante universitaire du Québec, expressed her disappointment with the failed negotiations publicly.

“Students have continued to make offers,” said Desjardins. “The government had already moved on to other things.”

At the press conference, Premier Jean Charest stood by Minister Courchesne’s decision, reiterating the provincial government’s previous offers to student leaders.

The Premier went on to say that the government would not bend to forms of intimidation or “threats” referring to the recent concerns that protesters would disturb Montreal’s Grand Prix next week as a pressure tactic. Gabriel Nadeau-Dubois, spokesperson for the Coalition large de l’Association pour une solidarité syndicale étudiante, said that any comments made in relation to his organization were made in jest.

The latest attempts to solve the ongoing tuition crisis and civil unrest in the province have resulted in a dead end, but Charest emphasized that the discussion could be reopened in the future.

“We have made very important efforts but we’ve reached an impasse,” he said, “but the door is always open.”

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Between a rock, a kettle and a hard place

Tweet sent by writer shortly after being kettled by Montreal Police.
Tweet sent by writer while covering May 23 protest.

I’m not entirely sure what happened.

It was the 30th nightly protest in downtown Montreal and I met up with thousands of protesters on the corner of Sherbrooke St. and University St. around 9:15 p.m. I carried a backpack with me, crammed with pieces of identification, extra water bottles, scarves and bandages in case things turned ugly. Except Wednesday was energetic and peaceful, and I wasn’t worried to be out on the streets reporting. It was hot out; protesters clanging pots and pans marched without incident through the downtown core.

This has become the norm in Montreal. Quebec’s tuition crisis has been a three month long affair and complex to say the least. A sea of red squares can be found on every street corner, every city bus in Montreal and beyond into the outskirts of the city. The iconic red square has been seen on Saturday Night Live on the shirts of Arcade Fire, in France at Cannes and even on individuals in Chicago and western Canada. The student movement has grown into societal discontent among more than just students, it’s spread to labour unions, older generations, families, lawyers, artists and citizens in general.

It’s sneaked its way into the homes of individuals on a worldwide scale, transcending international borders and divides. On May 22, various cities held demonstrations and events in solidarity with Quebec’s student protests. Outside the Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris, hundreds congregated to voice their discontent with the Charest government. The Occupy Wall Street Movement in New York City has come out in support of the students, holding their own protests in several areas of the city.

But the crisis coupled with the historic, controversial and questionable Bill 78 has created an environment of tension and backlash. People from all sides are tired; the government, students, protesters, police officers and citizens all caught up in what seems to be an endless and exhausting crisis.

On that Wednesday night, after three hours of following separate protests calmly move through the streets, the atmosphere changed within a matter of seconds. Marching south on St-Denis St., I was tweeting and snapping photos at the head of the protest when I spotted a line of police officers waiting on Sherbrooke – and a massive gathering of countless riot cops standing behind them. A tiny bit of apprehension gnawed at me; a warning sign.

Tweet by writer shortly before being kettled.

It happened so quickly. A weird standoff between police and protesters started and ended within five minutes. Protesters would charge, attempting to break through the line and the police would quickly respond in the same matter, sending dozens of students running in different directions. I tried to leave by going west on Sherbrooke but was met with an additional line of blue uniforms and shields. An officer not much older than me told me to move back into the middle.

Kettled. Kettling is a riot tactic that controls protesters by limiting them to a small area as police move in from all sides. It’s controversial because it forces everyone, including bystanders and law-abiding citizens, into detention and prevents them from leaving. In 2010, this crowd control method was used at the G20 summit in Toronto, enclosing hundreds people of all ages to a confined space, drawing criticism from many and spurring Toronto police to ban further use of this tactic altogether. In Germany, kettling has been challenged several times in court and has been ruled as inhumane or unlawful in many cases.

I was forced into the middle as police approached from all sides while protesters chanted in unison to remain calm and peaceful. This is a perfect example of a disadvantage of being a student journalist. We’re young. We’re students. And we’re not properly accredited. Therefore it’s difficult to be differentiated as a journalist rather than a protester. I’ve come to learn that police don’t discriminate.

It’s kind of scary to be caught in the middle, waiting to know what you’re going to be charged with and if you can leave. Fortunately I found other student journalists and we were instructed through Twitter by Canadian University Press Quebec Bureau Chief Erin Hudson and the Montreal Police to present ourselves to constable Daniel Lacourcière. It was quick and I was surprised with how helpful the Montreal Police’s media have been with young journalists.

Canadian University Press contacted Montreal police via Twitter

It’s surreal to be looked at with hard, blank expressions from both Montreal and provincial police like I’ve done something wrong just for doing my job. But I was ultimately released, along with a handful of other journalists. I had to present my press pass and submit pieces of identification, explaining that I was not participating but reporting. Demonstators looked confused, some asking why we were allowed to leave while they couldn’t. Some just wanted to use a bathroom but were met with little response, officers have an uncanny ability to remain stoic in a situation where emotions are so present they are almost tangible.

Montreal police Twitter account responded to student journalists tweeting from within the kettle

It was an illegal protest and we were warned that prosecution awaits if we are found in violation of the law. Over 500 arrests were made that night and we were lucky to leave.

I was escorted by two young Montreal Police officers, a firm grasp on my elbow, to a second point just outside of the kettle. I was held there for approximately ten minutes, where I was asked again for my press pass and identification in order to leave.

Once I was released, I walked through the McGill Ghetto in a daze, with a provincial police helicopter flying overhead, avoiding Sherbrooke where city buses waited to transport the detained. I’ve lived in this province all my life, and I can’t remember a time where I worried for the safety of everyone. I never thought the crisis would get to this point, but it’s escalated to the degree where it’s dangerous. It’s no longer just a student movement and I wonder where the answer to this problem lies.

And to be honest, I’m not entirely sure how this will end.

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Bill 78: Controversial and historic legislation passes

The Charest government adopted the controversial legislation Bill 78, in an effort to put an end to the tuition crisis Friday afternoon.

Bill 78 was tabled Thursday night and voted into law 68 for, 48 against. The bill aimed at calming the student conflict was finalized and accepted after undergoing amendments. In hopes of restoring order to Quebec after 14 weeks of protest, the law is set to expire in July 2013.

The new law imposes strict regulations for demonstrations and limits the number of participants, when, and how long individuals can protest. Hefty fines are to be imposed for students and organizations that violate provisions of the law. Furthermore, the emergency legislation also suspends the rest of the semester at post-secondary institutions affected by the strike.

An individual who blocks access to a CEGEP or university could face a fine anywhere from $1,000 to $5,000. Student leaders could be charged up to $35,000 while student associations and federations could face a penalty of $125,000.

Demonstrations are now restricted to 50 people and an itinerary must be given to the police eight hours in advance of the action. This changed from the original proposal, in which the provincial government wanted to limit the protests to groups of less than 10 people. Protesters must also inform the police about the length of the protest beforehand.

Around the same time yesterday, Montreal’s city council passed a bylaw prohibiting the wearing of masks during public demonstrations.

Student leaders, the Charest Liberals’ opposition, and various civil rights associations have openly criticized the controversial legislation and the ethics behind it.

Following the adoption of Bill 78, the Fédération étudiante universitaire du Québec’s President Martine Desjardins said that the situation is “not over until it is over.”

Members of the Parti Quebecois voted against the emergency legislation, still sporting the red squares associated with the student movement. Leader Pauline Marois denounced the provincial government for an “abusive” law, calling it “one of the darkest days in Quebec democracy.”

Despite the strict limitations imposed by the law, thousands took to the streets of Montreal last night in protest where Molotov cocktails were reportedly thrown at police.

Read Bill 78 in it’s entirety in English (via CBC news) or French (via La Presse)

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Liberal government introduces controversial bill

Quebec Premier Jean Charest introduced special legislation to the National Assembly today to suspend the academic session in hopes of ending the tuition fee crisis in Quebec.

The proposed legislation would suspend the current semester until August, postponing the fall semester until October 2012 for the 14 CEGEPs and 11 universities seriously affected by the student strike.

The bill was met with mixed reactions during question period after being tabled by the Charest Liberals in the National Assembly this morning.

Newly appointed Education Minister Michelle Courchesne defended the government’s decision, claiming that the bill “defends the right to education and accessibility to education.”

Parti Quebec leader Pauline Marois criticized Charest for trying to introduce special legislation instead of meeting with student organizations to negotiate the tension over the tuition increase. Visibly upset, Marois called the bill a “waste” and denounced the government’s decision as “disgraceful.”

“This is an important decision for both students and the future of Quebec,” explained Charest.

It’s not clear when the legislation will be adopted but Charest implied it would be in the near future. The bill, announced yesterday in a press conference, resulted in another night of protests in downtown Montreal by students and supporters unhappy with the idea of postponing the semester.

Last night, people took to the streets in three different demonstrations. While two protests remained peaceful, the last turned violent in the early morning and resulted in 122 arrests.

Over 3,000 protesters marched through the streets until the demonstration was declared illegal at 12:25 a.m. In a round up, Montreal Police detained members of the media including five student journalists from The McGill Daily and The Link who were later released after informing the Montreal Police that they were reporters.

Although Charest said he hopes the law will bring calm to the situation while pressure is mounting, some students believe it will have the opposite effect. Hugo Girouard, a student at CÉGEP de Saint-Laurent that has been on strike since February, expressed his disdain for the bill.

“I’m hoping the government understands that they are not kings,” Girouard said. “They can’t control us like this.”

Université de Québec à Montréal student Marc-Antoine St-Yves believes the legislation will not solve the tuition crisis. Although St-Yves has finished his semester and didn’t boycott classes, he is worried the law will only worsen the situation.

“What I think will happen is the strike will go on,” said St-Yves. “And if the law passes there will be violence for sure.”

“I just hope the student will find a way to negotiate with the government and stop this crisis,” added St-Yves. “The patience of the population has a limit.”

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Student movement moving into its third month

The Coalition large de l’Association pour une solidarité syndicale etudiante listed its demands on Thursday as the student movement against tuition hikes heads into May.

The student group announced that tuition fees should remain frozen and that the money to fund post-secondary institutions can be found elsewhere without burdening taxpayers.

A four-point plan was proposed as an alternative to Premier Jean Charest and Education Minister Line Beauchamp’s offer to extend the increase over seven years instead of five which some student leaders have called “insulting.”

The plan calls for several changes in university governance, including asking that universities to reallocate existing funding. In their presentation, CLASSE representatives said that 26.2 per cent of university funds goes toward research and that $142 million could be spent on improving teaching instead.

CLASSE demanded that university advertising budgets be cut, saving an estimated $18 million a year, and called for a moratorium on the construction of satellite campuses and a suspension on any current expansions. Additionally, CLASSE insisted that an immediate freeze on the salaries and hiring of university administrators and rectors be implemented.

The group also wants an open debate on free education.

If the government does not accept the offer, students and their supporters will continue to strike in the streets according to CLASSE spokesperson Gabriel Nadeau-Dubois.

__________________________________________________

Although many universities and CEGEPs are reaching the end of the school year, student strikes continue on a daily basis with more planned for the rest of the week:

  • Thursday, May 3 – A nude protest is set to starting in Emilie-Gamelin Park at 8:30 p.m.
  • Friday, May 4 – A demonstration is planned in Victoriaville outside of the general council of the Quebec Liberal Party.
  • Sunday, May 6 – A “Mother’s Day” protest to be held outside of Charest’s office on McGill College in Montreal.


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Province presents new deal to student movement

Thousands of students took to the streets for the third night in a row on Friday in response to the Quebec government’s proposed adjustments to their plan to raise university tuition fees.

Calling the announcement an “insult more than an offer,” the demonstration swept through downtown Montreal, concluding with 35 arrests after rocks and bottles were thrown at police.

At a morning press conference held by Premier Jean Charest and Education Minister Line Beauchamp on April 27, they announced a six concessions which aim to appease students and end the 11-week strike.

The plan spreads the tuition hikes over seven years instead of five, with the total overall increase rising from $1,625 to $1,778. For the first five years, students would pay less than the originally proposed $325 per year, that amount increasing in the last two years.

An additional $39 million in bursaries would be added to Quebec students with family incomes of less than $30,000 a year. The plan also incorporates the creation of a new council to ensure better management of universities in Quebec and periodic evaluations of the impact of higher fees on education accessibility.

Reaction to the offer has not been positive, major student organizations arguing that it ignores the strike’s main goal of freezing tuition completely. Members of the Fédération Etudiante Universitaire du Québec will be voting on whether or not to accept the proposal in a week or so.

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Students take to streets of Sherbrooke

Photo by Navneet Pall
[singlepic id=131 w=320 h=240 float=right]

Over 5,000 students and citizens attended a demonstration on Wednesday in Quebec Premier Jean Charest’s home riding of Sherbrooke.

Students bused in from across the province representing high schools, CEGEPs and universities which have been protesting the province’s tuition increases.

The Concordia contingent, which was organized by student union VP external Chad Walcott, lost a large number of supporters before the bus even left the Hall building.

Earlier in the day, about 60 students were arrested during a protest which occurred at the Eaton Centre shopping mall as well as the Queen Elizabeth Hotel. Police say that those arrested were involved in “mischief” though it is not completely clear what the students have been charged with.

Walcott confirmed that a number of those arrested were Concordia students who were supposed to be on the bus, which departed at 11 a.m. Ultimately the group leaving from campus was quite small, with only six people travelling to Sherbrooke for the march.

The protesters congregated at the University of Sherbrooke and met up with an even larger group before walking all the way to the premier’s local office. Once there, students continued to cheer and chant as leaders of the movement made speeches.

 

[nggallery id=8]

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Students largely left out of federal budget

OTTAWA (CUP) —“The plan’s measures focus on the drivers of growth: innovation, business investment, people’s education and skills that will fuel the new wave of job creation,” Finance Minister Jim Flaherty told reporters in advance of the budget’s unveiling in the House of Commons on March 29.

But apart from a heavy focus on industry-related research and additional funding for one particular youth employment program, Canadian post-secondary students were largely missing from the Conservatives’ 2012 budget.

“This federal budget is bad news for Quebec youth,” said Fédération Universitaire du Québéc President Martine Desjardins. “The reduction in grants for university research, for example, clearly shows the increasing place private corporations are taking in universities. We are also concerned to see that grants for social programs were lower than what the province asked and we worry about the consequences of these reductions on youth.”

Research and innovation
The Conservatives instead placed a clear emphasis on innovation and research funding, namely in the form of partnerships between businesses and universities. Among their plans, they intend to dedicate $14 million over two years to double the Industrial Research and Development Internship Program, which currently supports 1,000 graduate students in conducting research at private-sector firms.

The Conservatives also plan to send $6.5 million over three years to McMaster University for a health care research project, and will dedicate $500 million over five years to support modernization of research infrastructure on campuses through the Canada Foundation for Innovation, starting in 2014–15.

Paul Davidson, president and CEO of the Association of Universities and Colleges of Canada, called the investments “smart and strategic” and was generally supportive of the research funding proposals outlined by the Conservatives.

“I think Canadian universities can be quite proud and quite pleased that the government recognizes the central role universities play,” he said.

The 2012 budget marks the end of the stimulus phase of the government’s economic action plan and thus the end of the Knowledge Infrastructure Program, which provided nearly $2 billion over two years for construction projects at university and college campuses across the country. Budget 2012 reported that a total of 515 projects were completed under the program, and while five have yet to be completed, no further federal funding will be provided for those unfinished projects.

Katimavik funding eliminated
There were youth-related cuts in the document, too. Living up to rumours that swirled in the media in the days leading up to the budget, the government cut funding to Katimavik, a popular youth program that supported young Canadians traveling the country to participate in volunteer projects. The government announced its intentions to continue to invest in “affordable, effective programming” and that Canadian Heritage would pledge over $105 million in youth initiatives, though few details were provided.

Employment issues
In the area of job creation specifically for youth, the Conservatives only announced they would add another $50 million over two years to the existing Youth Employment Strategy, which, according to the government, connected nearly 70,000 youth with work experience and skills training last year.

While the government re-affirmed their plan to forgive student loans of up to $40,000 for new doctors and $20,000 for new nurses and nurse practitioners who plan to work in rural and aboriginal communities, starting in 2012–13, this plan had already been announced in last year’s budget.

Federal Green Party leader Elizabeth May also said she was “very disappointed” that no greater moves were made to relieve youth unemployment and student debt in the budget.

“The priority is to engage people so that we can put up the kind of cross-country response. We need to mobilize,” she said.

Nevertheless, thanks to their majority government status, it’s expected that the Conservatives will pass their budget plan with ease.

The government also announced its plans to eliminate the penny. Pennies will no longer be produced and distributed to financial institutions starting in fall 2012, though the coins will still be allowed to be used in cash transactions.

Dubois warned that the government was trying to “balance the budget on the backs of students and older citizens,” while May felt there was another clear message for young people among the financial proposals.

“You’re the victims in this,” the Green Party leader told Canadian University Press. “Anybody younger than 50 is the part of the population that gets kicked in the teeth in this budget.”

With Files from Joel Ashak

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Why is Quebec acting as if it has something to hide?

Graphic by Katie Brioux

Quebec has the highest high school dropout rate in Canada, but apparently we shouldn’t know or be concerned about it.

At least, that’s the message that the Ministry of Education is sending to the population by refusing to disclose the graduation data of hundreds of Quebec high schools to QMI Agency.

This data should be made public if we want something to be done to tackle the issue. According to QMI, the Cree School Board in northern Quebec recorded the highest dropout rate in the province in 2009-2010, with 90.1 per cent of students dropping out of high school.

Quebec Education Minister Line Beauchamp says that they will not release the data for “reasons of sensitivity” and students’ self-esteem. Is that really a valid reason? Absolutely not.

Theresa Bianco, undergraduate program director in Concordia’s department of psychology, believes that this reason is only a smokescreen.

“The ministry probably just wants to cover up how bad it is by not releasing the data,” she said. “They want to protect themselves.”

Hiding the dropout rate from the population won’t make it any lower. According to Statistics Canada, the dropout rate in Quebec between 2007 and 2010 was the highest in Canada at 11.7 per cent. The highest numbers were found in Quebec’s First Nations communities.

We must ask ourselves: Why is the dropout rate so high to begin with? In my opinion, the ministry wants to hide the numbers because it’s scared of the population’s reaction, fearing it would get criticized for not putting enough effort into reducing the dropout rate.

I think that the main reason for such a high rate is the lack of help given to students with learning disabilities. Teenagers who struggle to succeed in their classes are more likely to dropout of school when they turn 16, an age at which they are legally allowed to do so. If the government puts a stronger focus on helping students cope with their learning disabilities, the dropout rate would probably fall.

“There definitely is a lot more that can be done at a legislative level,” said Bianco. “Identifying the students at risk of dropping out and helping them succeed is one solution, because their schooling environment is definitely not suitable for their learning needs at the moment.”

Another reason is that there are no consequences for students who do not get a high school degree. Having the most basic level of education is not even a requirement to get certain jobs. However, if employers required that all their employees have a high school degree in order to get the most basic job, I’m sure that a lot more people would actually finish high school.

“Right now, there are no repercussions for students that drop out before they finish high school, with regards to jobs for example,” said Bianco. “But there should be, and I can’t stress enough how important I think it is to finish high school.”

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Le Huffington Post: hit or miss?

Arianna Huffington launched Le Huffington Post Québec on Feb. 8 - Graphic by Katie Brioux
Arianna Huffington launched Le Huffington Post Québec on Feb. 8 – Graphic by Katie Brioux

Media mogul Arianna Huffington added the province of Quebec to her online empire last Wednesday, and the 10 bloggers who defected from her ranks shortly before the launch of Huffington Post Quebec did not make her budge.

Almost a year after starting her first international edition in Canada and less than a month after the creation of Huffington Post France, Arianna Huffington is looking to take La Belle Province by storm with an edition that will offer the same type of Internet news and blog aggregating, with content provided exclusively in French. Huffington hopes to see results as promising as the English-Canadian version that attracts 1.8 millions visitors per month and offers posts from bloggers such as David Suzuki and Conrad Black.

As successful as it is however, the Huffington Post is continuously facing controversy. Despite selling her website to AOL for $315 million in 2011, Huffington’s success is still made out of the work of more than 9,000 bloggers she does not pay. One of them is suing her on their behalf for $105 million.

Huffington addressed the growing concerns surrounding unpaid bloggers during a press conference to mark HuffPost Quebec’s launch at the Gault Hotel in Old Montreal last Wednesday.

“There seems to be a misunderstanding about the Huffington Post’s enterprise,” said Huffington to a dozen Quebec journalists. “We offer a platform that presents an exchange of services. The website offers content through skillful writers and we offer them a platform to express themselves.”

Huffington went on to compare blogging for the Huffington Post to tweeting or posting on Facebook. “The HuffPost provides the same type of distribution service,” she said.

Out of the 135 bloggers who were originally supposed to write for Huffington Post Quebec, 10 have so far retracted their offer. Some of them are prominent Quebec figures like MNA and former Parti Québécois member Pierre Curzi, Montreal city hall opposition leader and councillor Louise Harel, and Québec Solidaire spokesperson Amir Khadir.

Khadir’s press officer told The Concordian that the Québec Solidaire MNA did not want to validate the idea that “it’s okay that a ‘for-profit’ media organization [use] unpaid writers to create value for its site.”

Normand Baillargeon, an education professor at Université du Québec à Montréal who also defected from HuffPost Québec, explained that in his case he was not familiar with the Huffington Post before agreeing to write for them.

“When I learned [about the controversy], I immediately retracted my offer,” Baillargeon said. “It was out of question to encourage a firm that exploited its bloggers in such a shameful way.”

During the press conference, Huffington called the bloggers’ defection “a drop in the ocean,” describing the media’s attention on the issue as “people’s love for controversy.”

“It’s not like we sign a contract with the contributors,” she added. “They can write whenever they feel like it and can also stop whenever they want.”

Khadir’s press officer went on to say that the Huffington Post’s business model had a negative impact on journalism as it would result in less paid jobs for aspiring journalists.

Huffington disagreed with such reasoning as she told The Concordian that she saw new media as “the golden age of journalism.”

“Using social media and blogging is almost like auditioning,” she said. “If journalists are not able to get a job right after graduating, which [was] often the case even before the appearance of new media, they now have the new media to have their work out so people get to see how well they write and discover their work.”

Linda Kay, chair of Concordia’s journalism department, agreed with Huffington’s argument.

“The Huffington Post showed itself to be a viable platform,” Kay said. “I think the Post is a precursor of what future journalism is going to look like.”

Kay added that even if Huffington shared her profits with bloggers, the concept for the website was hers and it was up to her to do what she wished with the financial success that ensued.

Jean-Philippe Warren, research chair for the study of Quebec and the only Concordia professor said to be writing for HuffPost Québec so far, also supported the HuffPost’s media platform.

“Posting a blog on the HuffPost is not fundamentally different from publishing an opinion piece, giving a radio interview, or accepting to speak at a public event,” he said. “Every small step that attempts to make knowledge more relevant and accessible is worth saluting.”

During the press conference, Huffington promised local coverage that would reflect Quebec’s political and cultural uniqueness, and assured total transparency, notably on bloggers’ political inclinations.

She also told the press she was already looking into expanding the Huffington Post furthermore, referring to an agreement being currently negotiated with the Qatar-based Arabic news channel Al Jazeera.

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Quebec students set to strike March 22

FECQ president Léo Bureau-Blouin and FEUQ president Martine Desjardins reaffirmed the intent to strike on March 22.

MONTREAL (CUP) — After a day-long meeting on Jan. 21 in Quebec City, the Fédération étudiante universitaire du Québec (FEUQ) and the Fédération étudiante collégiale du Québec (FECQ) have reaffirmed the intention to strike on March 22 to protest rising university tuition fees.

But first, the individual member groups need to seek approval from their constituents.

“We have the mandate to ask our associations to go on strike, but first they need to ask their members if they want to, and then we will be able to say the FEUQ is on strike,” said president Martine Desjardins, who made the announcement with FECQ president Léo Bureau-Blouin in Montreal on Jan. 23.

The date was chosen earlier in December to coincide with the timing of the release of the finance minister’s budget. Desjardins said that FEUQ, the student lobby group that is often a government negotiator, has not been invited to sit in on the pre-budget consultation meetings that are now taking place.

FECQ president Léo Bureau-Blouin and FEUQ president Martine Desjardins reaffirmed the intent to strike on March 22.

After walking out of the same meetings in December 2010, she said their calls have not been answered by the finance department: “We asked them to talk with us. But they won’t do it.”

Several associations are planning longer strikes at different times, confirmed Desjardins.

“We talked a little about the different waves of strikes that are going to be happening,” said Chad Walcott, VP external for the Concordia Student Union (CSU), which is a FEUQ member. “Whereas some schools are going to strike earlier in February, and others later in March, [there’s] a wave of pressure that’s moving toward March 22 and the end of the academic year for that last push.”

On its own, the CSU is planning a school strike for March 26 to 29, a city-wide Montreal protest on March 1 and a sleep-in at one of Concordia University’s 24-hour libraries in February.

“I don’t think anyone’s officially ready to go on strike, but some departments are starting to talk about it,” said Walcott, who is working on a booklet for Concordia students who are considering strike action.

Desjardins added that a protest is also planned for Feb. 14, when the National Assembly returns from a break, and stunts will be staged at different campuses on a weekly basis up until March 22.

“There [are] a few things that we have to do, and it won’t be easy, and we know that,” said Desjardins. “But people are willing to do this and are very optimistic.

“We can make history [with this]. We held the second-biggest protest [in Quebec] on the 10th of November,” she added, recalling last semester’s day of action, when about 20,000 students marched to Premier Jean Charest’s downtown Montreal office. The day culminated with a handful of arrests and a confrontation between riot police and students on McGill University’s campus.

Charest has said the government will go through with gradual tuition hikes, beginning in fall 2012, to culminate in a total rise of $1,625.

Quebec permanent residents currently pay the lowest tuition fees in Canada, but FEUQ and FECQ, which represent about 200,000 students in universities and CÉGEPs across the province, assert that further tuition hikes could harm students’ finances.

The education ministry could not be reached for comment.

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