Hours before the legislation was passed, Carleton University students gathered outside Nideyinàn on Wednesday to speak out against threats they foresee from Premier Doug Ford’s Bill 33.
Organized by Carleton University Students’ Association (CUSA), chants like “The students united will never be defeated” and “Hey hey, ho ho, Bill 33 has got to go,” echoed through the parking lot.
CUSA’s vice-president of student issues, Aidan Kallioinen* said the demonstration was held to pressure the provincial government to reconsider the bill, which he says threatens student services.
The legislation, formally known as the Supporting Children and Students Act, increases government oversight of educational institutions. This means the Ontario government would have the power to influence post-secondary student fee structures, require schools to create research security plans and implement individual merit-based admission to programs.
“This bill puts the control of a student’s future not in the hands of the student, but in the hands of the province,” Kallioinen said.
Standing out in the cold, students held signs criticizing Ford’s government, reading messages like, “Stop Bill 33” and “Hands off CUSA.”
“We should be looking into having free education with more programs, not more oversight.”
Kallioinen encouraged students to be persistent and take further action outside of the protest to challenge this legislation.
“Contact your member of the provincial Parliament because this is a provincial legislation, and it can be reversed,” he said.
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*Aidan Kallioinen has previously contributed to the Charlatan.
Featured image by Jaidyn Gonsalves/the Charlatan.
