The Saint-Laurent residences understand the impact of the student strike and respect the choices and opinions of each student. Because of this, the residences exercise flexibility and can adjust leases and times to accommodate students whose programs were disrupted by the strike.
The liberals have undertaken austerity steps to restore financial balance. This was part of their campaign and once in power they started making cuts, readjusting, putting measures in place that affect everyone including students.
The term austerity means a forced or extreme economy which results in a simplistic way of life where the objective is to reduce unnecessary expenses. According to the government, Quebec is 200 billion dollars in the red. Their submitted budget aims to eliminate the 2015-2016 deficit.
The strikers are angry and they are going into the streets to denounce their point of view: education, health care, pensions for unionized employees, day care services, social aid and social services should not be affected. They should rather rely on increasing taxes for large companies, reducing salaries and severance benefits for governmental staff.
Who is protesting?
Professors, students, health workers, people in the public sector. The liberals believe that investments in the public sector are too high and consequently, do not stimulate enough the economy and small businesses and entrepreneurs. They also believe that many of these services are too expensive in regard to the population.
Many students believe that the strike has negative impacts and they do not agree with it and want to attend their classes. For many students, going to post-secondary education is a major investment; they do not wish to pay extra costs for extra classes or get low grades that may impact their average and their scholarships. They do not want to risk it.
Strikes also have an impact on small businesses. In order to provide an opportunity for protesters to march in the streets, roads are blocked, so it is difficult to move about and this can have a deterrent effect on potential consumers. These same strikes affect tourists and visitors to the city.
Now, it is up to you as a student to take a stand and express your opinion using the method that suits you best, always respecting others and their choices.
What makes student life, residence life, great is having the right to your own opinion, sharing it with others, discussing and learning to dialogue, to obtain solutions that take into account the different points of view. Profit from this privilege, enrich yourselves.
