Montreal Protests Through the Eyes of a Western Canadian Business Student

Hey! Thanks to everyone that checked out the blog series I did about the week I spent working on my dad's farm. It took a while to post, and it is a lot to read, but I appreciate everyone who took some time to check it out.

In case you were wondering (you probably weren't wondering), I spent the last few weeks hanging out in the beautiful city of Montreal at my good friend's apartment, who is currently a student. The night before I flew East, I got a text message from her telling me that she had a pot and wooden spoon with my name on it, and to be ready to hit the streets to join in the protests when I arrived the next day. Never one to turn down an interesting life experience, I obliged. 

For those of you that are not aware of the history behind these particular protests, I will give you a condensed history. The protests began on February 13th over a decision by the Province to implement a $325 a year tuition increase over five years (a total increase of $1625). Over 150,000 students are estimated to be on strike in protest of the tuition hikes. However, the protests became more complex and widespread after the Quebec government passed a controversial and what many call undemocratic anti-protest law (AKA "Law 78") which further fueled the flames. The protests continued to grow and peaked when crowds estimated at over 200 000 (ie: the entire population of Regina) gathered on the 100th night of the strike. Not long after, the majority of Montreal neighbourhoods began to participate in nightly marches dubbed "casseroles", which was inspired by the original protests in Chile in the 1970's during the reign of Augusto Pinochet.

The next evening, hours after I stepped off of the plane, we went out into the street a few minutes before 8 PM, when the protests typically begin every night. It was cloudy, and I wasn't really sure what to expect. At 8 o clock the sound of a single pot echoing through the empty streets and cloudy skies. It was an eerie feeling, and I couldn't help but think of a scene in The Warriors. That single pot clanging in the distance was soon joined by our instruments, and we formed a crowd and headed to a local park. We spent the evening wandering around with hundreds of other people in the small neighbourhood of Saint-Henri hitting pots and pans, watching as young children, grandparents, students, shop owners and lawyers wearing little red squares of felt wandered around the in a festive parade. People would flick their porch lights on and off, and families would bring their pots/pans/bongos/snare drums to the balcony to cheer on our parade as we marched below in the street. The look of joy on some of the children's face as their parents encouraged them to make noise was priceless. As the rain started to fall, we headed back to the apartment at around 9:30. The sound of pans in the pouring rain continued well after 11 PM. The entire experience was truly remarkable.

Back in Western Canada it may be difficult for people to understand the protests. Many (including myself when I first heard of the protests) are quick to judge. Some have called the protests "embarrassing" and refer to the students as "ungrateful" as a result. I believe that it is difficult for people outside of Quebec to properly pass judgement on the issue based solely on what the media reports.

After going to Montreal, talking with the people and having many debates with many different viewpoints on the issue, it is clear that these protests are not simply about tuition hikes anymore. These protests are a byproduct of  frustrations over the corruption that has plagued the Government of Quebec and City of Montreal for decades. How is it fair that students are forced to pay more for education to finance the kickbacks and inflated construction contracts given to mafia organizations?. These protests are the result of people speaking out against corrupt, greasy and often undemocratic practices of our Federal Government (Proroguing parliament TWICE to avoid dealing with controversial issues, abolishing the Wheat Board without holding a plebiscite for farmers, questionable spending habits during the G20 summit that have been condemned by the Auditor General, bills that would infringe on Canadians online privacy, hiding the true costs of fighter jets from Canadians, pushing through giant omnibus bills that should be broken up, and putting strict limits on debate on important matters, etc, etc, etc.. I could go on...). As mentioned before, this isn't an issue that is isolated with the students. It is a community of frustrated people from all demographics, peacefully voicing their disapproval.

People out and about protesting.

True, Montreal is a city with a history of violent civilian incidents, such as when the Montreal Canadians (booo. Go leafs) won a playoff series a few years ago and took to the streets to riot. However, the protests have been mostly peaceful. There will always idiots that show up to disturb the peace, vandalize and fight with police but those are the same worthless bags of skin that steal BBQs and live to senselessly break stuff/cause chaos. It is unfortunate that TV crews spend so much time broadcasting these buffoons to the outside world.

The main point that I am trying to make, is that it is refreshing to see people care enough to do something and voice their frustration in an effective and peaceful manner. My tuition at the University of Regina just went up by 9% for the next school year, and I didn't even flinch. The film tax credit was recently cancelled in Saskatchewan and although the industry launched a spirited campaign and a large portion of people are against the decision, the cuts will proceed. We're not particularly good at effectively voicing our opinions in Western Canada anymore. 

Now I'm not saying we need to hit the streets to protest necessarily, but I believe there are times that we have to do a better job of organizing our thoughts and effectively communicate them to our Governments. Quebec is a very passionate province, and I really believe that we could use a fraction of that passion out West. Voicing our opinions and views once every 4 years by voting in elections is not substantial enough to say that we are doing our job as a democratic citizen. Get informed, be critical, develop your own opinions and be a part of the perpetual conversation.