“Education is a right! We will not give up the fight!” shouted hundreds of Carleton students as they boarded buses headed downtown on Nov. 5 for the Drop Fees for a Poverty Free Ontario rally.
The campaign, spearheaded by the Canadian Federation of Students (CFS), joined students from universities across the province to lobby the government for the reduction of tuition fees.
This year, the campaign sought to expand its focus by including the reduction of tuition fees as part of a greater poverty-reduction strategy, a move that sought to give the campaign more credibility and a more socially focused agenda.
When students arrived downtown they were met by students from the University of Ottawa, Algonquin College and other supporting institutions.
Before heading off, the mass was then treated to a live pro-movement bilingual rap concert.
“We do this every year and it keeps getting bigger and bigger,” cried Carleton student Nick Curtis above the chanting crowd. “They can’t ignore this many people.”
From the University of Ottawa, students began their march through the downtown streets, first passing by the Parliament building.
Students chanted, “Hey hey! Ho ho! Tuition fees have got to go!” as they continued onward. Rally members were encouraged by a few hand-drum circles and the occasional honk of support by a passing truck.
The march continued past City Hall and ultimately halted at the human rights monument, where a variety of speakers gave a series of rousing talks, with Ontario premier Dalton McGuinty as the primary target.
“Congratulations Mr. McGuinty,” cried one rally organizer. “You’ve officially put Ontario in first place. We now pay the highest tuition in Canada. Thank you.”
Yet, despite the clear enthusiasm of the speakers, half of each speech was completely inaudible to the crowd, as the sound system continuously cut power from the microphone. The crowd nonetheless cheered for every word, whether they could hear it or not.
A series of unions such as “The Ottawa District Labour Council” and “The Ontario Federation of Labour” also sent representatives to show support for the movement.
However, although students at the rally seemed enthusiastic, many doubted whether their efforts would actually rouse any real political action on behalf of the provincial government.
“This is my first protest, I thought it would be fun,” said first-year journalism student Jackie Chen. “I believe [the rally] has a purpose, but I’m not sure it’ll accomplish anything. But it’s something, right?”
Despite the criticism, Carleton University Student’s Association (CUSA) president Erik Halliwell said he was happy with the outcome.
“It was great to see so many people out on a cold day. I think we sent a clear message to the provincial government today that education is slowly coming out of grips, and we’re not going to put up with it.”
Although classes were not cancelled, teachers were asked not to schedule any tests or assignments during the rally. However, despite the free pass, many students still chose not to attend the event.
“It’s not that I don’t care, I just don’t think the cause of the students is really effective. I think it makes us look bad and almost immature as a school,” said first-year commerce student Dennis Weatherdon. “There’s got to be a better way to do this.”