Nearly 1,000 protestors decorated in red wound their way through Ottawa May 29 in a rally and march aimed at supporting student demonstrations in Quebec.
The march was organized by a group called Solidarity Against Austerity (SAA).
The aim of the march was to denounce Quebec’s Bill 78 which restricts and regulates protests in that province, according to the group’s Facebook page.
Protest leaders, however, decried everything from tuition hikes to capitalism, a lack of funding for Aboriginal students, and Quebec premier Jean Charest.
“We know what it’s like to have huge tuition fee hikes in Ontario, so it’s important that we show Quebec students that we support them,” said Elizabeth Kessler, SAA spokesperson and vice-president of university affairs of for the Student Federation of the University of Ottawa.
Protest organizers refused to reveal the route of the march through Ottawa in advance.
As part of Bill 78, protest leaders must register the date, time, duration and venue of the demonstration as well as its route.
The march took a circuitous route through Ottawa before crossing the Alexandra Bridge into Gatineau, and pausing in front of the Palais de Justice on Rue Laurier.
The diverse group was noisy but peaceful. Most were young, but senior citizens and a mother pushing a baby carriage were spotted in the crowd.
Many of the protestors were either francophone or Quebec natives, and most of the leaders spoke to marchers in both French and English.
Several prominent unions played a role in the protest, including the Canadian Union of Postal Workers (CUPW).
CUPW national president Denis Lemelin said the demonstration was about more than just tuition fees.
“The students are standing up against austerity and standing up for public services, workers, and a more equitable society,” he said via email.
CUPW spokesperson Mike Palecek said the union was there to protest Bill 78, and lend support to student unions that protested with CUPW during its strike last year.
Some onlookers supported the marchers as they made their way through the downtown, banging on pots from their apartment windows.
Others looked confused and said they didn’t know the meaning of the protest.
“Without knowing all the story from both sides, I don’t know whose side I’m on other than I’d like to see the tuition stay down as low as possible,” said one bystander, who identified himself only as Mark, a developer for a large telecommunications company.
“I think it’s very good that they stand for what they believe in . . . but I think protesting can only go so far. I don’t know if it’ll actually make much of a difference,” said Dave, an Ottawa high school student watching the protest who asked that his full name not be used.
A more effective way for protestors to achieve their goals may be contacting their member of Parliament, he said.
The protest is designed to catch the attention of protestors as well as politicians in Quebec, said Jean Sébastian Belleau, one of the marchers.
Belleau grew up in Gatineau, but attended La Cité Collegiale in Ottawa.
“[I’m here] to show some support, at least give a morale boost to the Quebec students,” he said.
The demonstration, however, was never intended to rival the ferocity of those in Quebec, Belleau said.
“The message we’re trying to get across is drop the fees, not start breaking stuff,” he said.
