th e
m c g ill t r z i b u n e
Volume 4, Number 11
Published by the Students’ Society of McGill University, Montréal, Québec
Tuesday, 20 November 1984
Kaplan: Grit And Bear It by Michael Smart
Red and White reviewed on page 4
Strike Update by Brian Todd with reports from Michael Smart, outside
Both sides in the cafeteria-workers strike seemhopeful of a settlement this week, something they had anticipated over the weekend. John Feldman, C.V.C. lawyer, Michel Cyr and Dolores Marcotte, representatives of the union met for over five hours on Sunday.
Apparently, Sunday’s meeting brought the strike much closer to set tlement. According to Feldman, “Dolores ended up fighting with Michel Cyr. It seemed he was being educated about the situation for the first time.” Feldman feels that Cyr now understands the futility of a laidcontinued on page 8
Strike At Annual Meeting by Stephen Hum To its predictable dismay, Students’ Society’s executive found itself neck deep in McGill’s latest labour dispute as it held court at its first open meeting of the year last Thursday in Union 302. The issue of the strike by Food services workers in campus cafeterias against CVC seized the day at what was to have been a routine question and answer forum (igniting what passion there was at an otherwise funereal event). MSS President Grace Permaul at tempted to animate the throng of ap proximately ten interested students, in viting them to ask questions on any topic save the strike, advising them in stead to first read the Students’ Society position on the strike that was being issued to those attending the meeting. The paper, asserting that the union had demanded that part-time employees be excluded from their bargaining unit, identified the principle of part time jobs for students as the key concern of MSS in this strike. The paper reminded readers that an average of over 200 McGill students are employed each year in the food and beverages service. Asked to clarify those statements, Permaul merely reiterated the position paper. “We’re committed to the ultimate good in this. We understand that the full-time staff is concerned about job security, but we have always had part time work open for students and we always will.” Members of the audience dissented; one challenged Permaul’s position, pointing out that on the issue of job security between full-time and parttime labour there may very well have to be a winner and a loser.
The president rejected this: “If we can have the best of both worlds why not go for it? I firmly believe we can accomodate both groups.” Questioners offered further resistance, charging that since the in troduction of CVC, food service campus-wide hats disintegrated ap preciably while prices have risen. Looking a little harassed by this stage, Permaul defended the decision to con tract with CVC, saying that before its advent there were wide discrepancies in the food quality on various parts of campus, with some places having bet ter food than others. “Our food ser vices are being built up to what they should be.” Permaul and the executive members huddled around the table with her, ' seemed almost visibly relieved when the line of questioning finally strayed from the strike. VP External, Martine Gagnon reported on a meeting she had attended with the Quebec Minister of Educa tion, Yves Berube concerning rumours that the ministry is considering hikes in student fees. According to Gagnon the officials she met alluded to her that considerations on fee hikes were more than just rumour. “They’re consider ing it very seriously.” said Gagnon. But time and method remain unknown; fee hikes could be introduc ed next year or in stages. Furthermore they may be across the board (same for all faculties) or they may be “modular” (science, medecine and engineering students will experience a steeper hike than other faculties.) which MSS is prepared to fight. “They (ministry officials) wouldn’t tell us any more. It would make their job harder continued on page 2
Robert Kaplan came to McGill last Wednesday with important advice on dealing with the new Tory government. Roughly speaking, his suggestion was Grit your teeth and hope for the best. As McGill’s Liberal community listened with rapt attention, Kaplan outlined his party’s bold new attempt to establish itself a place at the “radical centre” of the Canadian political spec trum. While Kaplan did not elaborate on what was really meant by the term “radical centre”, some political analysts and linguists believe it involves wearing red ties with blue suits, the acknowledged uniform of the former Liberal cabinet. Kaplan spent most of his one-hour appearance rallying discouraged troops through attacks on the present govern ment, which he labelled as “govern-
ment by photo opportunity” for what he considered its high level of secrecy and lack of real policy initiatives. “The Conservatives have a greater degree of secrecy that even I have seen as minister responsible for the most secret part of government,” he said. As Soliciter-General in the previous cabinet, Kaplan was responsible for the establishment of the Canadian Security Service (SS). The SS is responsible for the investigation and surveillance of anyone unlawfully advocating the overthrow of the Canadian govern ment. Kaplan went on to contrast Tory election promises of “frugal govern ment” to what he called “more ex travagant use of government planes (by Conservative cabinet ministers) than even the Liberals in the dying days of continued on page 3
A New Approach To Politics by George Nikides
Humanism is a system of thought that has surfaced again and again in Western civilization. For the past few weeks Humanist McGill (a new student group that has been formed in associa tion with the Humanist Party of Canada) has been trying to revive the spirit of humanism. The Canadian Humanist Party is a member of the world wide Humanist movement, a movement that has active political parties in over forty countries, including Yugoslavia, Poland and Romania. Last week I spoke to a representative of the Humanist Party of Canada, Enrique de la Barrera, a mechanical engineer, and Richard Ban ville, a Political Science student and President of Humanist McGill. The Humanist movement began in 1969, according to Barrera, as a reac tion to the disintegration of the in dividual in the twentieth century and man’s tendency toward his own destruction.” Following in the tradi tion of Renaissance Humanism, the Humanist Party was founded on a basic principle: human beings, not in stitutions, are the most important ele ment of society. The Party’s platform states that “the human being is more important than profit or the state. One of our most urgent tasks is to end the impotence felt by the average citizen ini the face of the gigantic machinery of government bureaucracy.” Although the preceding statements
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may sound like the traditional vague jargon of any political organization, the Humanist Party does have certain concrete policies. On one hand it ad vocates the creation of cooperatives throughout the economy, that is, cooperative farms as well as cooperative factories, apartment buildings and retail stores. The Humanist Party also demands that government subsidize the entire cost of all levels of education. The Party sup ports a nuclear freeze and a gradual reduction in nuclear arms. Finally the Humanist Party vows to pass legisla tion preventing racial and religious discrimination, as well as discrimina tion “against women and youth”. The political philosophy of the Humanist Party is based in the idea that the community should be the center of power in a democracy. The Party’s goal in Canada is to shift political power from the federal and provincial governments to the com munity. “We want to create a true democracy,” Banville says, ‘‘a democracy whose authority derives directly from the people.” What exactly can Humanist McGill do for McGill students? Barrera says: “The goal of the Humanist movement is to transform the society in which we live by placing ourselves in the center of action. We want to show McGill students that they are not products of a system and that they can participate in continued on page 8
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