Student strike against rising tuition fees.

First of all, I'd like to express my position on the subject. At first, I was against the strike because I thought that wouldn't make a change, and I didn't want to lose possibly over 1 month of school for no reason. But that was my first reaction. Then, I decided to see things from a different angle. Has I saw the movement grow, I was getting more optimistic about it. I voted in favour of the strike even if I wasn't totally convinced it would make Jean Charest give in... YES I went back home during the strike, but YES I drove to Matane a couple of times, the nearest cégep from my hometown, to protest, unlike some may think. After approximately 4 weeks of strike, I became more uncertain about the accuracy of the strike, but still, I kept on going and I thought that since our term isn't threatened, why giving up now ? But when we came back to class, I was relieved because I was afraid we were to lose our session if we didn't stop the strike action. If so, I would probably have lost my chance to get to my first session of university. 

 

Now, if the negociations with Line Beauchamp doesn't end up being fruitful, I think it is time to find other means of pressure to ensure that we won't get impoverished when we get to university. The idea is not mine but I find it interesting..; what better way to put pressure on Charest and Beauchamp than simply not paying our tuition fees next year. If every single student participated, we could create a huge pressure and they would be forced to listen to us. The protests may also keep going without necessarily having to stop classes.

 

I have to say that the strike made me experiment my first Extraordinary General Meeting and I am more interested in politics, because I feel like I understand it more than before the strike. I also know more about our Prime Minister and now I know why he isn't beloved by everyone...