Demarchy

They were so optimistic.

It was mid-afternoon on Saturday. Word leaked that the government and students had come to an agreement on the Quebec tuition melodrama. Like tired horses being lured into a glue factory, some editors ran with headlines rash enough to read ‘Quebec government, students reach deal on tuition fees,’ dropping the all-too-important ‘tentative.’ The sigh of relief was half-implied, half-audible in the fawning of the next 600 words. Certainly everyone reasonable faith in Gabriel Nadeau-Dubois’ “sexy” tone as he read the details of the Charest Government’s offer to end the aging student strike.

How quickly it all fell apart.

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In a surprise move today, the four prominent student associations in Quebec announced that a tentative deal had been reached to end the nearly two-month strike that has polarized Quebec, led to over 800 arrests and has permanent injured several students. 

The government’s offer to students was announced this evening via press conference, where neither of the three student representatives looked overly enthused by the deal. In fact, they won’t even recommend adopting the principles - they’re leaving the decision to the general councils that will meet over the next two weeks. Until then, the strike continues. The details are as follows;

• Tuition fees will be increased at the rate proposed by the Liberals, over 7 years.
• Tuition increases will be offset by a reduction in institution/ancillary fees, maintaining an effective freeze on the cost of university.
• A council will be struck to look for efficiencies in the system, passing on all savings directly to students by way of tuition cuts.

Overall, this is a relative win for the students. It, however, might be a bigger win for the province. This proposal will not cost the government a dime - it will, seemingly, require universities to find the savings in their ancillary fees and keep them in line accordingly. The permanent work of the committee, on the other hand, is to ensure the mandate of the universities remains to staying accessible. 

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No, not that S word. And no, it’s nothing to do with the Showtime program about a bunch of lesbians living in the city, just trying to make it work.

No, I’m talking about the word which shall not be breathed less you want a veritable tidal wave of Anglo-Canadian chest-thumping and circle-jerking.

Yes, Separatism.

Full post here, dawgs.