Defending Student Rights

A collection of articles related to the government’s cuts to higher education and the attack on democratic student organizations.

The Cream of the Rotten Crop | Mike Yam

Year after year, there is inevitably some incident in the media where an individual or group of people are publicly called out for wearing racist costumes during Halloween or other party seasons. For example, we've seen plenty of celebrities chastised for wearing offensive, racist, and distasteful costumes. As if on cue, shortly after Halloween this year, Canada's major media outlets reported on a party held by Queen's University students after comedian Celeste Kim posted pictures on her Twitter account that were originally posted in a private Queen's students Facebook group and denounced the attendees.

Where does economic critique come from? | What's Left

Following the global economic crash of 2008, there has been a lot of discussion about the need for a re-think of mainstream economic thought. While this 'orthodox' economics held claim to the economic growth before 2008, it completely failed to predict the economic crash and seems unable to deal with the aftermath. Unfortunately, while the economy they supported collapsed, the theories that set the foundation for the economic crisis have not lost their dominance.

Trudeau breaks important promise to Indigenous students | Emily Niles

For the past twenty years, successive federal governments have maintained a restrictive two per cent funding cap on the PSSSP that has resulted in funding falling far behind growing demand for post-secondary education, rising tuition fees and increasing living costs. As a consequence, Indigenous communities administering the funds are forced to make impossible choices about which students in their communities receive support each year.

In opposition to the Ontario Liberal government's 'Basic Income Guarantee' | What's Left

The idea being promoted by the Liberal government through its “Basic Income Guarantee” is that we should be moving towards a system where the government redistributes wealth by giving individuals money directly. As wealth redistribution goes, this is an inherently right-wing approach. It depends on the private sector to provide services that those on the Guarantee can afford, it does nothing to improve the employment prospects for those on the Guarantee, and in the end likely only increases inequality. Instead, the government should be investing this money in public services that are provided at no cost to everyone, an initiative that will create more jobs in the process.

Ontario's Budget and Tuition Fees | What's Left

Ontario's 2016 budget was announced on Thursday. In contrast to the newly applied progressive veneer of the current Liberal brand, the budget was actually an austerity budget. The funding for infrastructure all comes from other parts of the public purse, increases to regressive flat taxes, and delayed spending on much needed social programs. Reallocating public service funds to infrastructure investments will not give the province the advertised economic boost because every infrastructure job and investment will be offset by job losses and cutbacks to other public services.