McGill University principal Heather Munroe-Blum has spoken out about the use of police force at a Nov. 10 rally against tuition hikes in the province.
“We are all deeply dismayed by what transpired on our campus, particularly coming as it did at the end of a day of extraordinarily well-planned and mostly peaceful student protests,” Munroe-Blum said in a statement.
A student-led movement took place Nov. 10 at post-secondary schools across Quebec, opposing the tuition hike that will kick in next year.
Tuition fees in Quebec will increase by $325 every year until 2016, according to the 2011-12 provincial budget.
Currently, undergraduate students in Quebec pay about $2,168 per year in tuition fees, whereas the nationwide average is just over $5,000.
Ontario currently has the highest undergraduate tuition fees in the country at $6,307 per year, according to Statistics Canada.
The protests began peacefully, but later that evening, riot police were called onto McGill’s campus. This happened after the protests moved to the James Administration building on McGill’s campus.
The day’s events resulted in four arrests.
Munroe-Blum said what transpired between the protesters and the police is extremely troubling for the university community.
“We share a desire to determine what happened and to find ways to move forward, so that all members feel safe, heard and represented, and, to the best of our ability, to prevent this from ever happening again,” she said.
Munroe-Blum has asked Daniel Jutras, the university’s dean of law, to undertake an independent investigation of the events according to the statement.
Jutras’ report will be made public, she added.
Munroe-Blum said she hopes to take measures to allow members of the university community to express their ideas and feelings about the events that took place, according to the statement.
Laurent Bastien Corbeil, a student at McGill and participant in the protest, said he’s happy the administration is making some effort to make up for the events on Nov. 10.
“I'll have to wait for the results of the investigation. I’m glad that she took questions from students though, so at least it shows a willingness from the administration to reach out to students,” Corbeil said.
“There was a webcast today, and a week ago she invited the campus media for an interview. So that's progress."
Corbeil said students will have to wait for the rest of the investigation to see how he reacts to the administration’s conduct.
