Hands Off Our Education! Ontario Students Mobilize in Campus Walkout on Thursday, November 5th

In our fourth episode of the season, we welcome Cyrielle Ngeleka, Chairperson of the Canadian Federation of Students - Ontario and Trudy Kuropatwa Trent, Chairperson of the Student Mobilization Committee - Toronto. We discuss the Hands Off Our Education Campaign and the province-wide campus walkout on Thursday November 5th and the Ford government’s Bill 33, cuts to student funding and erosion of public post-secondary education driving students to mobilize across Ontario.   

Speaking to Ontario’s government and students, Ngeleka says:

“Keep your hands off our education. Students are not backing down. We are not letting up the fight. November 5th is not the beginning, it's also not the end. You will continue to feel the pressure. Whether that's inside of Queen's Park or outside of Queen's Park, students are not letting up the fight. …And to students .. we're super excited to see you all come out on November 5th. .. this is a long but worth-it fight, and every step that you take is going to make it easier for the ones that come after you. Every step that you take is one step closer to actually seeing tangible changes. And so let us stay organized in the work that we do.”

 

On  the goals of the Hands Off Our Education! Campaign,  Kuropatwa Trent says:

“The core demands are grants not loans, and a reversal of the tuition increase and a reinstatement of the tuition freeze. Now, those are .. the most immediate ..goals of the campaign, is a return to an already broken system. I won't lie. But it's at a point where that's what students need to be able to even consider affording education. And then from there, push forward for fully publicly funded education … it's honestly what we deserve, and totally within the cards financially. ”

 

For more on the Hands Off Our Education! Campaign and the Thursday November 5th Campus Walkout, visit:

https://yourtmsu.ca/handsoffoureducation/

https://www.handsoffoureducation.ca/about

@cfson

 

About today’s guests:

Cyrielle Ngeleka (she/her) is in her second term as Chairperson of the Canadian Federation of Students-Ontario. She has consistently advocated for the amplification of Black and Francophone voices, as well as the defence of students’ unions’ autonomy. In response to growing attacks on post-secondary education by governments and administrations, she is committed to empowering students to organize in a manner that is bold, politically-grounded and solidifies a united front across the sector. She believes that a free, accessible, and publicly-funded post-secondary education system is not only possible, but achievable through sustained on-the-ground organizing, solidarity, and a willingness to actively challenge the status quo.

 

Student Mobilization Committee (SMC) - Toronto, Chair, Trudy Kuropatwa Trent is a fourth year Design and Production student at Toronto Metropolitan University, where she serves as President of the Performance Student Union. She advocates for fully divested, public and democratic education from pre-kindergarten to post secondary. Kuropatwa Trent got started in the student movement during her High School years in Edmonton as a part of the No Cops on Campus campaign being run to stop the reinstatement of Student Resource Officers. Since then, she has been organising and outreaching across campuses to fight for free, democratic and accessible education as a member of the Student Mobilisation Committee.

@smc.toronto

                                       

Transcript of this episode can be accessed at georgebrown.ca/TommyDouglasInstitute or here.

 

Image: Cyrielle Ngeleka, Trudy Kuropatwa Trent  / Used with permission.

 

Music: Ang Kahora. Lynne, Bjorn. Rights Purchased.

 

Intro Voices: Ashley Booth (Podcast Announcer); Bob Luker (Tommy)

 

Courage My Friends Podcast Organizing Committee: Chandra Budhu, Ashley Booth, Resh Budhu.

 

Produced by: Resh Budhu, The Tommy Douglas Institute of Labour and Social Justice and Nick Seebruch, rabble.ca.

 

Host: Resh Budhu.