A Unionized Cause Celebre

"Maybe it's time to get into the streets of Ontario and start the same kind of movement that they have in Quebec to demand that tuition be lowered and that we start working towards free university."  Sid Ryan, President, Ontario Federation of Labour

And out he went to march along with the university student demonstrators on Tuesday.  Urging that Ontario students also become involved.  He's in support of what the students are doing, but he's not advocating for violence.  He just wants his iced cake served with tea.

The students, albeit representing a minority among the minority that have been out marching on the streets of the province's cities, have been demonstrating their unconcern with the law. Beyond the fact that many of them have lobbed rocks and bricks at police, have smashed shop windows, have illegally blocked traffic and created havoc, they have gone out en masse to defy the law.

After having defied court injunctions whose purpose was to have them cease harassing those majority students in the province who wished to attend their university classes, and obstructing their way into those classes.

These are, of course, the students who claim that the provincial legislature in increasing their tuition fees over a seven-year-period to eventually represent about 17% of the cost of their education (the government that has done this in view of its massive provincial debt and increasing deficit) is an undemocratic one.

The students have their rights in a democratic society and they mean to exercise those rights.Which most definitely do not include intimidation, harassment, violence, threats, public mischief and criminal behaviour.  All of which they feel they are entitled to commit, because they are, quite simply, entitled.

And they have the support of many of their university instructors.  Whose own unions have quietly encouraged the students and proffered funding to mount legal challenges.  And now unions in Ontario have become involved in support of the 'striking' students, funding them as well.

After all, the current union leaders recognize the emerging human material from which their future leaders will emanate, and these students require encouragement, they feel.

Although they are perfectly capable of their own volition of challenging democratically elected lawmakers, and breaking the law in the process, proving without a doubt they are fully capable of taking their place as future union leaders.