Students Launch Solidarity Tour

OTTAWA, July 12, 2012 /CNW/ - A "Student Solidarity Tour" is being launched across Ontario in Ottawa tonight. On the tour, Québec representatives will speak about how students organized the longest and largest student strike in Canada's history.

"Students in Ontario already pay the highest fees in the country and are facing another five per cent tuition fee hike in the fall," said Sarah Jayne King, Chairperson of the Canadian Federation of Students-Ontario. "Ontario students are interested in learning from the experiences of students in Québec as we fight for high quality, affordable, and accessible post-secondary education.

Students in Québec have been on strike for over 150 days to oppose tuition fee increases proposed by the Charest government. In response to students' action, the government passed Law 78, which severely limits the rights of students to demonstrate. The United Nations and Amnesty International have raised concerns about Law 78 for violating human rights.

The Ontario government has increased tuition fees by up to 71 per cent since 2006: a similar increase to what has been proposed by the Charest government. As a result of high tuition fees colleges and universities in Ontario now only receive half of their operating revenue from the government.

"Students in Ontario, like our peers in Québec, are united in our fight to drop fees for all students and defend public post-secondary education," said King. "By sharing our successes and challenges, we are building a stronger movement for affordable public education in Ontario and Québec."

The first tour stop is tonight at 7 PM at the University of Ottawa in the Agora of the University Centre. Over the next 8 days, the tour will be stopping in Kingston, Hamilton, Windsor, Niagara, London, Guelph, Toronto and Peterborough.

The Canadian Federation of Students-Ontario represents more than 300,000 college, undergraduate and graduate students from Windsor to Thunder Bay.

Sarah Jayne King, Chairperson: 416-925-3825 (office) or 647-339-4070 (cell)