Student Commission of the YCL-LJC 

January 2019

On January 17th, Doug Ford’s Conservative government announced that tuition fees would be reduced by 10% under the slogan “for the people”. This benign-sounding  announcement heralds an attack on students’ political power and our access to a quality, public-funded post-secondary education.

Though reducing tuition fees by 10% contributes to more accessible education in principle, this motion conceals an agenda to further privatize and corporatise education, close programs, and gut the quality of our education since no more public spending will be allocated to post-secondary institutions. This 10% cut will pale in comparison with the tuition increases that university administration will be able to get away with when student unions have no power to oppose them due to the Student Choice Initiative.

1. Students who benefited from the so-called “free education grant” and other need-based grants will see much or all of their grants transformed into loans. This means it will take even longer for them to pay back the banks. Where the average student debt in Canada comes to $30,000, this means students may be held hostage by bank debt for years.
2. The unfair burdens faced by international students will accumulate. The 10% cut in tuition fees do not in fact apply to international students, who are paying the highest tuition fees in Canada by far.
3. The “Student Choice Initiative” represents an attack on campus life and the student movement, allowing students to opt out of union and student organization dues. This means that campus clubs and organizations that benefit from funding decided on through student democracy – such as on-campus newspapers, pride, women’s groups, cultural associations and anti-racist groups – will not be able to play their role in making our campuses safe and productive places for students to independently develop their political and social life.
4. These represent an attack on the ability of students to resist reactionary measures, austerity, globalisation, wars and other anti-popular policies. Students have played a consistent role in social movements in Canada: The Ford government is attacking students’ ability to fight for a better world, to challenge corporate power and politics that benefit the ruling class.

What’s next? 

In the face of such a concerted attack, the broadest and strongest resistance is needed not only from students, but also from labour and other progressive and democratic organisations. A strong fightback for a free, accessible, public, democratic and emancipatory education is now needed more than ever. We therefore need to organise locally, not only on our campuses but also in our workplaces and in our neighbourhoods to build a strong resistance against Ford. This requires more organisation than simple petitions and rallies – we must build a broad, powerful coalition.

Further, we must be prepared for multiple mass actions such as days of action, alongside organizing an ongoing general strike. This is far from an unprecedented proposal: It happened as recently as 2012 in Québec, where it gathered the strength to force the Liberal government out of office.

It is our role to strengthen the youth and students’ fightback against Ford. It is our duty to show that his government is not “for the people” but for the rich people, and that his latest announcement is an attack in the interests of the corporate class against the youth, students and the people in general. Through our struggle, we will enact a genuine people’s agenda.

To see images of the YCL-LJC contingent at the March against OSAP cuts on January, 25th, click here. 

For a printable version of this leaflet, click here.