Protest talk - thread

[kelly25]

I was wondering what others thought about what’s going on with the student protests and the new laws ect.. For me its not black or white, I can see valid points from both sides. How has this affected your lives? Have you attended any of these protests? I’m south of Montreal and don’t plan to go anywhere near the city anytime soon, seems scary and dangerous.

[MiaowTheCat]

There has already been a discussion of sorts in the deals/chat thread, so most people know my position. I agree it's not black and white. We live right in the thick of it, in downtown. I regularly walk around Eaton Centre and down on Rene-Levesque, so we see the buses shuttling policemen, the helicopters above, the cops running on foot, etc. I am just glad I didn't happen to be near the Bay on the day they were shooting rubber bullets into the crowd! Not a nice surprise for a passerby.

It's been 100 days so it does seem neverending. The students now have funding from Anonymous so I'm guessing that's why the last protest was so large, 100K protesters supposedly.

[AnnieP]

Je crois malheureusement qu'on risque de se prendre dans un débat houleux... encore! J'éviterai donc tout commentaire.

[MiaowTheCat]

I agree with AnnieP, keeping my mouth shut For us (DH and I), it's just about avoiding the scene when there's a new protest so we either don't get stuck in the car for an hour, or get hit with something!

[GeorgiaK]

I think that students need to understand that, sooner or later, everyone needs to pay the bill. Whether it is now, through a tuition hike, or later, through higher taxes, someone needs to pay. I think that Quebec tax payers have been taxed enough and it is time to share the load. That being said, I think we need to also, at the same time, clean up the mismanagement in our institutions - hospitals, schools, government - in order to justify the hike.

But this protest is now about so much more than just a tuition hike. I think that it has gotten out of hand - the violence, the strong arm tactics on both sides. I rarely, if ever, go downtown so this does not affect me personally, but the city's businesses and economy will be hurt for a long time because of the protests. This, in turn will only aggravate the situation.

[MiaowTheCat]

Yes, downtown has lost millions in revenue. The other night, DH and I were coming home from dinner in Chinatown and our car was stopped at a light on Rene-Levesque, a few streets west of St-Laurent. Buses of cops and policemen on motorcycles were making their way around to get to Ste-catherine, and I saw a bunch of tourists in front of an hotel with a bewildered look of "what the f*** is going on??" lol...not a good time to visit the city!

[Patty Smyth]

There is another thread in the "news" section also. My feelings are made clear there. Don't want to really debate the pros and cons. Just want my city back.

[MiaowTheCat]

Honestly, I didn't think it would go on for this long! But now, I am thinking the whole freakin' summer!..?

[Patty Smyth]

Here is the link for the other thread. I don't think people outside the province realise how bad it is.

http://forum.smartcanucks.ca/296319-...lation-canada/

[AnnieP]

Je crois qu'il y a de la mauvaise foi de part et d'autre. Au bout du compte, il n'y aura aucun gagnant. La démocratie en prend pour son rhume. La confiance des uns envers les autres aussi.

Honestly, I didn't think it would go on for this long! But now, I am thinking the whole freakin' summer!..?

[kelly25]

I don’t know why ppl are so afraid to voice their opinions? We went to war for our freedom and everyone is entitled to their opinion whether others agree or not. What I’m bothered by is the media painting a fake picture or voicing their opinions when their supposed to be neutral (its their job on t.v, radio) influencing other ppl in a certain direction.

One thing for sure is I’m left wondering who is part of the solution??

[Darth Penguin]

Here is the link for the other thread. I don't think people outside the province realise how bad it is.

TBH, Patty, there's a lot of people in QC who don't realise the full extent either.

[Darth Penguin]

BBC on Nadeau-Dubois

Though he is reviled by politicians, his rock star appeal has attracted crowds of admirers - and female fans who compare him to Hollywood star Ryan Gosling.

[takasuite]

when i was in school, Concordia. The professor ( taught us technical writing ) from another province said ( tuition fee ) "you get what you pay". At that time 2006

[abominablecupcake]

I think that students need to understand that, sooner or later, everyone needs to pay the bill. Whether it is now, through a tuition hike, or later, through higher taxes, someone needs to pay. I think that Quebec tax payers have been taxed enough and it is time to share the load. That being said, I think we need to also, at the same time, clean up the mismanagement in our institutions - hospitals, schools, government - in order to justify the hike.

But this protest is now about so much more than just a tuition hike. I think that it has gotten out of hand - the violence, the strong arm tactics on both sides. I rarely, if ever, go downtown so this does not affect me personally, but the city's businesses and economy will be hurt for a long time because of the protests. This, in turn will only aggravate the situation.

I agree with you completely especially when the students are the ones directly benefiting from higher education. The government and its public institutions also have to be more careful of the way they spend.

Although many people associate the strike with cegeps and universities, they omit that even public high schools are also affected. I enjoy going to school even though it sounds strange coming from a teenager. I am very disappointed by the fact that 20-50 students standing in front of the school can prevent the other 550 to attend class especially when the picket line dissolves two and a half hours later, when the other students have already left because the school administrators told them to. Those students only go on strike to miss an exam, an evaluation or simply a entire day of school. It's happened five times already and it's very inconvenient because it's the end of the year and instead of reviewing for finals, they're wasting everyone's time. Luckily, participation in future strikes would result in fines and other disciplinary actions. I hope this strike will end soon.