Bill 78

A couple of days ago, I found a red square in the Metro. I said to Sophie, "I'm going to start supporting the students."

I picked it up. Sophie had just finished rolling her eyes when she said, "I have a safety pin."

I put it on my hat. Since then, I have had a few interesting conversations, and received some funny looks while out walking. Of course, I have been anticipating the funny looks, so I am probably imagining them. But it has turned out to be a conversation piece.

At first, I didn't care much about the tuition hikes. Although I live and work in Quebec (well, work... although trained as a teacher, I'm basically a stay at home dad who picks up some substitution work from time to time), I am not pure laine Quebecois (but I am pretentious). I'm not even a dyed-in-the-wool anglophone-Quebecker. I am from Alberta. 12 years ago, I met a girl from Quebec and followed her home. That seems like a lifetime ago.

Since then, I have bounced around a lot. I  moved to Ontario, returned to Alberta, lived in Nunavik, fell in love with another Quebecoise, made a family, and have recently found myself calling Montreal my home. Turns out that Montreal is an interesting place to be these days.

Like I said, the tuition hikes barely entered my mind. I was happy that the youth of Montreal and Quebec were standing up for what they believe in (even if I think Quebec has bigger fish to fry). That all began to change after a rally of more than 200 000 people in March failed to bring the Liberal government to the bargaining table with student leaders. I began to realize that democracy had broken down in Quebec. The students had done everything correctly. They had protested peacefully, in unprecedented numbers, and Premier Charest didn't even bat an eye.

Well, it didn't take a genius to see where this was headed. Since then there have been weeks of protests on end which disrupt the city to varying degrees. The students have become more and more militant as the government becomes more and more stubborn. They sent their Education minister to the negotiating table with no room for negotiation. She quit over it.

Now, there is a law limiting the right of people to protest. Bill 78. It makes things really easy for the police to declare a march illegal and start shelling out the noise grenades and tear gas. To me, this law was not designed to restore calm. It is a law designed to provoke the students into even more angry and illogical tactics. It's a law designed by an unpopular government to garner public support. It's too bad that the students seem to be willing to oblige the police. It just might work.