Quebec Students Form Association
(CUP) Montreal – Delegates representing 43 Quebec CEGEP’s and universities formally founded l’Association des Etudiants du Quebec (ANEQ) at a conference held last weekend at college Sherbrooke.
John Abbott Students’ Association hasn’t discussed membership in ANEQ at its meetings and did not send a representative.
ANEQ first came to public attention last November when it organized a strike of 100,000 Quebec students to protect inadequate and late student loans.
ANEQ’s immediate concern is still the present loans and bursaries system. An ANEQ press release publicly denouncing the Quebec Ministry of Education’s (MEQ) latest offers was approved by the conference delegates. The press release will protest the cost-of-living increase of only 12 percent and the discrepancies between the $46.00 weekly allotment to CEGEP students, and the university students’ allotment of $50. The press release also calls for an increase in the established loan ceiling.
A special committee of 7 was established to present ANEQ demands to the MEQ.
ANEQ’s other goals, outlined in the adopted constitution, are to “promote, protect, and develop in all ways possible the material, intellectual, professional, cultural and social interests of all Quebec students; to help relations between diverse association members and non-member student associations and to provide students with accurate information on all issues which directly concern them.”
Loyola delegate Irene Kavanagh said “that it seems beneficial for Loyola to join ANEQ. Most other institutions in Quebec are planning to join and if all students become members there will be strong student solidarity in the province. This will be very helpful when negotiating with the government over loans, bursaries and other issues.”
For an institution to join ANEQ there must be a majority vote by students through a referendum or a general assembly.