Motions Passed at the BSW GA

Motion RE: POSITION of Social Work Student Association (SWSA) of McGill

WHEREAS education is a right ensured by article 40 of The Quebec Charter of Human Rights and Freedoms stipulating that every person has a right to free public education;

WHEREAS article 13c of International Convenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, ratified by Canada in 1976, stipulates that ''Higher education shall be made equally accessible to all, on the basis of capacity, by every appropriate means, and in particular by the progressive introduction of free education'';

WHEREAS a study published in 2007 by the Institut de recherche et d'informations socio- économiques (IRIS) concludes that more than 80% of the students receiving Aide financière du Québec's loans and bursaries will not receive financial compensation after the rise of tuition fees, despite the modifications advocated by the government;

WHEREAS a study concluded on behalf of the Ministère de l'éducation, des loisirs et du sport itself, published in 2007, determined that the amount necessary to cover the totality of university tuition fees in Quebec was 153 million dollars;

WHEREAS according to the same study, from 6,000 to 13,000 individuals will have no more access to university once the rise of tuition fees of 30% ordered in 2007 is completed, and the fact that ignoring this document, the government decided to proceed with the rise of tuition fees;

WHEREAS many student associations in Quebec already took a stance against tuition hikes, involving more than 120 000 students currently on strike;

WHEREAS social justice is one of the key values encouraged by L'Ordre des travailleurs sociaux et thérapeutes conjugaux et familiaux du Québec and the Canadian Association for Social Work (CASW);



BE IT RESOLVED that we position ourselves firmly against the rise of tuition fees, in a perspective of free education and against any alternative financing mechanism of education (Income Contingent Loan Repayment, Post-university Tax, abolition of Tuition Tax Credit, etc.).

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Social Work Student Association (SWSA) be committed to raise awareness and mobilize around the individual and societal impacts of the tuition fees increase and its effects on the status quo.
  

Motion RE: Unlimited Strike against Tuition Hikes

WHEREAS the Quebec government intends to increase tuition fees up to 3793$ by 2016-2017, with increases beginning next Fall;

WHEREAS this represents an increase of 1625$ over five years, and a 127% increase for the 2007-2017 period;

WHEREAS recent austerity measures implemented in the UK show the negative consequences of a hike on the accessibility of education, despite financial compensation in the form of loans and bursaries;

WHEREAS the Institut de recherche et d’informations socio-économiques (IRIS) estimates that up to 30,000 students could be denied access to higher education if Quebec tuition fees reached the Canadian average;

WHEREAS article 13c) of the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, ratified by Canada in 1976, states that ‘’Higher education shall be made equally accessible to all, on the basis of capacity, by every appropriate means, and in particular by the progressive introduction of free education’’;

WHEREAS tuition increases reflect a larger societal shift towards the privatization of educational institutions and the commodification of education and knowledge;

WHEREAS the pursuit of social justice, which includes acting to reduce barriers and expand choice for all persons, is a core social work value upheld by the CASW as well as the Ordre professionel des travailleurs sociaux et thérapeutes conjugaux et familiaux du Québec;

WHEREAS advocacy is central to social workers’ role;

WHEREAS, despite petitions, rallies, marches, a one-day strike, and other tactics by students opposed to the tuition increase, the Quebec government has not changed its plan to raise tuition;

WHEREAS, throughout the history of the Quebec student movement, the economic pressure exerted by unlimited general student strikes has frequently forced the government to accept student demands, when other tactics have failed;

WHEREAS students of the MacDonald campus as well as the Post-Graduate Student Society of McGill have adopted striking as a method to show their opposition to tuition hikes;

WHEREAS over 100 student associations and approximately 130,000 students are currently on a general unlimited strike in Quebec, including the social work student associations of Université de Montréal, Université Laval, Université du Québec à Montréal, Université du Québec à Rimouski, Université du Québec à Chicoutimi, and Université de Sherbrooke;

BE IT RESOLVED THAT the undergraduate students of the McGill School of Social Work enact an unlimited strike, starting on March 19th 2012, in protest of the tuition hikes and in solidarity with their fellow students already on strike;

BE IT RESOLVED THAT the strike mandate be renewable every 1 week through a simple majority vote (50% + 1) conducted during a general assembly;

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED THAT normal hours of field placements remain unaffected by the strike.

March 14th, 2012

Motion RE: Demonstration

WHEREAS the liberal government has implemented tuition fee hikes;

BE IT RESOLVED THAT SWSA and its members choose to mobilize peaceful and voluntary actions to oppose the tuition hikes and hold a demonstration.

Motion RE: Mandating Mobilization committee

WHEREAS, SWSA executive is composed of only 7 members that carry on specific tasks and duties as stipulated in their mandates;

WHEREAS, in the context of a strike SWSA executives may have to do much more than stipulated by their mandate in order to coordinate strike actions, negotiations with Faculty, communicate every new development of the movement to BSW students, networking with different interest groups within McGill and outside of the campus;

Whereas in the context of mobilization, the student body because of its important number and the diversity of its perspectives, need to be integrated in the decision-making process;



BE IT RESOLVED, that the Mobilization Committee of SWSA be mandated to:

• Plan and coordinate the conduct of the strike;
• Work to ensure that picketing and other strike activities progress in a peaceful manner that respects the dignity of all members of the BSW program; and do not restrict access to classrooms;
• Make the time and location of its meetings public at least twenty-four(24)hours in advance;
• Work in collaboration with the Communication committee in order to ensure that BSW students are informed of every new development regarding the strike via a SWSA listserv to be created by the joint efforts of both committees,
• Communicate to the McGill administration, the School of Social Work administration and the Quebec government the demands of the strike;
• Communicate and collaborate as is deemed necessary with student associations, strike committees, national coalitions, and other relevant bodies regarding the strike;

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that this Mob committee be composed of any BSW students having the desire to be involved in such effort while operating in a non-hierarchical, consensus-based approach.