Students are stranded between a province that won’t support them and a University that won’t fight for them.
Bill 33, the Supporting Children and Students Act, passed in the Ontario legislature on Nov. 19. Despite its benevolent name, Bill 33 threatens essential student services and opens the door to sweeping changes in admissions. And though it was introduced this summer, the AMS arguably only began meaningfully informing and mobilizing students in the final days before its passage. Worse still, as of Nov. 26, the University administration hasn’t offered a public statement on how Bill 33 will shape life on campus—leaving students without answers when they need them most.
What makes Bill 33 so deeply unnecessary is that students already have the most democratic mechanism imaginable, where we can all directly vote on which fees should be mandatory. Bill 33 tramples a system that isn’t broken—and in doing so, causes more harm than good. And that’s why the lack of advocacy becomes extra frustrating.
Last week on Nov. 14, the AMS released an “AMS asks U” video, attempting to inform students about Bill 33 but only revealed how little they’ve done to inform the student body since Bill 33 was introduced on May 29, demonstrated by how none of the students they spoke to in the video were able to identify what Bill 33 was, or its implications for campus life.
In a previous Journal article, the AMS assured students that they’re preparing for an extensive advocacy period by sending executives to Toronto to attend the Student Advocacy Conference with MMPs. However, with the bill already passed, the AMS’s advocacy still feels like it’s too little too late. This sort of action should’ve been taken when the bill was tabled, not after it’s been passed.
Even with their lack of attentiveness, the AMS is hardly to blame for Bill 33. It’s not the student government’s fault that the current premier, Doug Ford, has shown time and time again that he doesn’t listen to students or care about funding post-secondary education. Between the international student cap and tuition freeze, Ontario Universities are more underfunded than ever at the hands of Doug Ford.
Though it’s disappointing, Bill 33’s passage isn’t unexpected. What’s unexpected is the lack of advocacy from the University administration. While the Admissions and Recruitment website boasts about Queen’s over 300 student clubs, they’ve released no official statement on the bill, which directly impacts the club’s ability to run.
With by far the most expansive reach, it’s frustrating to see the University administration leaving advocacy surrounding Bill 33 to the student groups that’ll be most affected.
Even without advocacy on behalf of the University, there’s a widespread attitude of political apathy at Queen’s. Many students aren’t involved in politics and are unaware of the potential implications of Bill 33. However, lots of students do care, and the student government and University administration have failed to inform them about issues that directly affect them. While the AMS, Council of Ontario Universities, Ontario Undergraduate Student Alliance, Ontario Student Voices, the Ontario Minister of Colleges, Universities, Research Excellence and Security, and The Journal have all raised concerns about the bill, Queen’s has remained silent.
Bill 33 is a direct threat to student services, reminding us of how vulnerable student groups are to provincial overreach. If Queen’s hopes to maintain a vibrant and sustainable student community, student leaders and the University administration can’t treat advocacy as an afterthought.
—Journal Editorial Board
Tags
AMS, Bill 33, Doug Ford, provincial government, University
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