A couple of weeks ago, over 20,000 students in Quebec took to the streets to protest tuition increases and changes to language laws introduced in October, with a lot of them not attending class for the week. More interesting, the University of McGill and Concordia University each filed suit against the Quebec government to argue that those tuition increases contravene the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms.
When was the last time you heard of a post-secondary institution choosing to fight against tuition increases? In this case though, it’s because the universities predict that the increase in tuition will end up costing them tens of millions in revenues. They explain this will not only affect their ability to deliver programs, but McGill’s suit claims the new laws will create an “unconstitutional barrier to interprovincial trade” by limiting student mobility across Canada.
As for the students, they note that the provincial government has given exemption from the tuition increases to French speaking international students from France and Belgium, but not to French speaking students from African countries, suggesting that the difference is one of racism.
Not that I believe Alberta’s actions toward post-secondary, especially the increasing funnelling of public dollars to private institutions, to be a good plan, but it provides some small solace to realize that, well, things could be worse.
Meanwhile, this holiday week, we’ve got a bit of a short issue lined up. But we’re starting it off with an overview of the Foreign Interference Commission, written by our own Alek Golijanin. This is a commission that may be making recommendations that can adjust the foundations of our democracy, trying to ensure that Canadian elections remain the purview of Canadians alone.
We also have a short story, not as a fiction feature, but as part of an article that may help you become a better writer, clearing up some commonly misused words so that you’re able to better explain exactly what you mean when you’re writing your assignments.
Finally, the [blue rare] column brings us an article that extolls the virtues of being lazy. I’m sure it’s all absolutely true, or at least, I like to hope it is.
Of course, we also have a selection of articles and snippets that are informative, helpful, thoughtful, funny, and maybe just plain interesting. But that doesn’t mean we want to stop there. I’m still seeking additional students to write articles that share the things you feel might be helpful or informative for other students. In particular, I’m looking for students to handle music reviews, course reviews, and council meeting reports. But if none of those strike your fancy, why not suggest something else, as ideas are another thing that I’m looking for. And just because we’re distance doesn’t mean you have to be. If there’s something interesting in your area you want to report on, by all means, send a message to karl@voicemagazine.org and let’s talk. Foster an interest and get paid to do so, that sounds pretty good to me.
Enjoy the read!