Moldy Peaches

This past weekend the Quebec wing of the federal Liberal Party of Canada met in Montreal for their biannual policy convention. As an aside, could there be a sombre political group meeting? I would have liked to have been there just to whisper the words Gomery and then run to the next person and do the same.

The event, however, did attract some heavy hitters. Mr. Dithers a.k.a Prime Minister Paul Martin was there as were several other cabinet ministers. The convention was also a time for a well-placed student protest that took place on Sunday.

When Martin took the stage on Sunday morning to deliver his "I have priorities address" to convention participants, students took the street. Or did they? The Student Society of McGill University (SSMU) organized a protest which took place outside the Hyatt hotel where the convention was being held. SSMU Vice-President University Affairs Max Reed attended the protest along with other SSMU executives. The problem is, they could have staged the *protest* in a phone booth judging by the turnout.

Reed, however, was not fazed by the low turnout. Reed said that low turnout by students did not dilute the protest's message. "I think the point of the protest was to remind people inside the convention that post-secondary education is important, and specifically to make sure the Liberal Party of Canada passed the motion that was on the floor for the $4-billion dedicated transfer," said Reed. "In that sense, the protest was quite successful because the motion was passed. It would have been nice to see more people there, but this is a campaign that is only starting to take shape and starting to build momentum."

Why are McGill students so apathetic? Reed admits he doesn't exactly know why many (most) students seem so uninvolved with issues that affect them, including university funding and the SSMU-initiated campaign for $4-billion, but was optimistic. Could it be that Quebec students are paying the lowest tuition fees in the country at $1,700 per year? Or maybe it is that the Quebec student aid system (Aide financière aux études) is one of the most generous in the country? Or maybe it is that 33% of the student body comes from outside the province - the majority of those students come from wealthy Canadian or international families. Nope, Reed does me one better and gets to the heart of the matter.

Reed believes that student apathy is an eternal question, however, having it (the protest) on a Sunday morning at 11 AM while most students are still asleep is not everyone's idea of a good time. So, a student leader chalks up, student apathy, to student laziness. Hmm, not sure if I don't smell an impeachment coming.

Reed tried to redeem himself later in the interview by saying that the SSMU has been circulating a petition and that they have garnered more than 1,000 signatures. The petition, demands that the federal government restore $4-billion in provincial transfer payments for post-secondary education cut during Paul Martin's tenure as finance minister. SSMU has also collected more than 150 signed postcards. So according to Reed, in that sense students aren't apathetic. They actually care about this issue, and are expressing themselves through other means rather than waking up early on a Sunday.

The other means is a great line - it has a resemblance to the BBC television show The Office line where someone suggests that at the staff Christmas party they have something for the old people. To which Tim counters, you can't just state that, you actually need to define it -It could be a Werthers Original or a phone call from your son.

Reed's comments are an embarrassment to elected student leaders who sensible and responsible lobby for change on their campuses. It shouldn't surprise you coming from a group who has a Vice-President from South Carolina who is a Quebec separatist. Apparently having a North and South Carolina is not enough, bring on the East!