When it comes to protesting we have to give it to Quebecers, they are just better protesters than the rest of Canadians.
As we have seen the recent students protest over tuition fee increase, they really are passionate and have demonstrated that they, both the young and old, will hit the streets to show their disdain for policies that they feel are unfair or against their way of life.
It is interesting to see that this protest has lasted three months and still counting with quite brazen displays of not backing down from the government. Although there have been minor violence the show of student solidarity is quite amazing with a high percentage of active participation. One student representative puts it best when asked by a reporter why protest with such vigor when the tuition in Quebec compared to the rest of Canada is low and that the new increase is not that high. That student representative gave the audience pause when she pose her own question back to the reporter and asked “Why is it so expensive elsewhere in Canada?”
When she said that, we also wonder why it is so expensive in the rest of Canada as we seem to have money for F-35 jets, lavish G20 summit and other projects or initiatives that does not bring real value to Canadians like education. Why can’t we allocate more money to education as we are always telling our students to stay in school to get a better job, and that education is one of the most important indicators to the success of any country?
Yet when we hear from people outside of Quebec about the tuition issue, the students and Quebecers are labeled as spoiled brats and unrealistic in their expectations and to get with today’s changing economy.
However if we look at the issue deeply enough that’s exactly what Quebecers are doing they are fighting for what’s important to them and not rolling over so easily as the rest of Canadians do after minor huffing and puffing. So many times have other Canadians outside of Quebec been mad as hell about some of the policies that their government, whether it’s the municipal, provincial or federal, is planning, but after some minor protests, they just roll over and take it.
The Quebecers have shown us that in order to protect what’s important to you, sometimes you have to hit the streets and defend without backing down so easily.
