The McGill Tribune Vol. 17 Issue 14

Page 1

Holiday Issue

'vww.tribuae.montea 1 4 c.ca

2 December 1097

Protesters fight APEC B y Ja s o n S i g u r d s o n ______________

Police used pepper spray on human rights activists demonstrat­ ing against the neo-liberal agenda of the Asia-Pacific Economic Co­ operation summit held last week in Vancouver. Over 2,000 people, many of them students, assem bled on the U niversity o f B ritish C olum bia campus while the Leader’s Summit w as tak in g p la c e . T he RCM P brought out the dogs and the pep­ per spray in a futile attempt to dis­ perse crowds and reduce the visibile resistance to APEC. Vancouver is the fifth host of the APEC leaders summit since the organization was formed in 1989. APEC is composed of 18 Pacific Rim economies that have a com­ bined gross national product of o v er $13 trillio n U .S. and are responsible for 46 per cent of the world’s merchandise trade. Certain members of the group are pushing to establish a Pacific free trade zone by the year 2020. It is p re c ise ly th is ty p e o f focus on numbers that raised the a tten tio n o f p eo p le like D avid Robinson, BC office research co­ ordinator at the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives. He is con­ cerned th at A PEC leaders w ill overlook all policy considerations th at are not p urely fin an cial in nature. “Under the general auspices of APEC, the focus is strictly eco­ nomic. In fact, the countries there a re n ’t even c a lle d c o u n trie s, th e y ’re c a lle d eco n o m ie s. C o u n tries have c itiz e n s — economies don’t,” Robinson stat­ ed. The CCPA helped organize the People’s Summit, an alterna­ tiv e forum ru n n in g p a ra lle l to APEC which would include dis­ cussions on human rights and envi­ ronmental issues — topics which are explicitly m issing from the APEC agenda. “O ur idea was to bring out labour, women’s groups, and enviC o n tin u ed on page 2

‘Tis the season to dish out a w hack o f cash: the most lucrative tim e o f year, retailers will be ho-ho-hoing all the w ay to the bank.

Rebecca Catching

SSMU fighting differential tuition in court Case seeks injunction to prevent McGill from collecting higher tuition from out-of-province students B y R enée D

unk an d

Ja s o n S i g u r d s o n

S S M U ’s day in c o u rt has arrived. Although student repre­ sentatives fight for the removal of differential tuition fees at the hear­ ing today with impeccable prepa­ ration, publicity at home seems to be limited at best. Paul Ruel, a U2 political sci­ ence student and the case’s plain­ tiff, explained that SSM U’s case against the provincial government is “three pronged.” “W e w ant th e d ecisio n [to implement differential fees] to be declared illegal,” said Ruel, “we want to get an injunction against McGill prohibiting them from col­ le c tin g d iffe re n tia l fees next s e m e ste r and we w ant o u t-o fprovince students given refunds for the differential fees that they have paid.” Publicity around the lawsuit, h o w e v e r, seem s to have been hastily organized. McGill filed the su it la st w in te r but SSM U VP External Lisa Phipps only spoke to

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the Canadian Alliance of Student A ssociations in late O ctober. A limited number of universities in the C an ad ian F e d e ra tio n of Students have joined in support of S S M U ’s e ffo rts . T he n a tio n al d ire c to r o f C A SA , H oops H a rriso n , is o rg a n iz in g a Parliamentary debate on the law­ suit for national and provincial press coverage. M o tio n s to p e titio n the Quebec government were passed by all m em ber u n iv e rs itie s o f CASA including McGill, but the m obilization of student support here has co n sisted m ainly o f a double-sided bulletin board placed in the lobby of the Shatner build­ ing. One short week before the hearing, P resident Tara New ell still had a pile of documents sit­ ting on her desk — information to be sent to various Canadian uni­ versities and federal members of parliament.

P u b licity an d ou treach Newell recently had her first meeting with a representative from

the office of Lucienne Robillard, the M em ber o f P a rlia m e n t for M c G ill’s rid in g , W e stm o u n t-V ille -M a rie. Y ves L e m ire , R o b illa rd ’s M o n treal office special assistant, stated that the students’ society has a lot of work to do before the minister can even think of bringing the issue of differential tuition or a national education act to the Liberal cabi­ net. “I asked [Newell] if her col­ leagues in other provinces have approached their provincial [edu­ cation] m inisters to see if they would support a national act — it’s important to know where the p ro v in c ia l m in iste rs s ta n d ,” Lemire stated. Lemire also pointed out that there needs to be a broad agree­ ment between student leaders as to whether or not a national educa­ tion act would be feasible or even desirable. Lem ire m aintains that N ew ell needs to fin d out w hat their various positions are before arranging a second meeting.

F eatured I n sid e SSM U Report Cards: see if the e x e c s have been naughty or nice................................................... pg. 4 Limiting up with the Tribune: cigar lounges and pot in Montreal.........................................pg. 9 Montreal Massacre: remembering eight years later..........................pg. 10 Monster Truck Spectacular: the psychology behind the phenome­ non...................................................pg.15 M artlet and Redmen Report Cards: how this year's fall teams measure up.................................. pg. 19

C o n tin u ed on page 3

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2 CAN D I N E FOR

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* includes two flame-broiled Whopper* sandwiches and two medium fries. Please present this coupon before ordering. Not valid with any other offer. No cash value. Applicable taxes payable by bearer. Valid only at 2001 University, McGill Metro. Expiry Date: Dec. 31/97

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The McGill Tribune Vol. 17 Issue 14 by The Tribune - Issuu