Jun 24 2013
The Winnipeg Chapter of the Council of Canadians AGM
WHAT: Winnipeg Chapter AGM, followed by a presentation: The Quebec Student Uprising: Reflections from Montreal, book launch and interactive discussion and slideshow with Stefan Christoff
WHEN: Monday, June 24 from 7 to 9 p.m.
WHERE: Eckhardt-Grammate Hall, University of Winnipeg, 515 Portage Avenue. Map
The Winnipeg Chapter is pleased to welcome as its AGM keynote speaker Stefan Christoff, activist, rabble.cacontributor and author of Le fond de l'air est rouge (The Essence of the Air is Red) for an interactive evening of discussion about the 2012 Quebec student uprising. Please join us for an invigorating firsthand account of what it was like to be in the streets during a time that has shaped modern Canadian history and put a spotlight on North American student movements.
Christoff's most recent work, Le fond de l'air est rouge, offers a series of firsthand accounts from the student demonstrations that occurred in Quebec last year. The uprising gained international support and media coverage and became known as the "Maple Spring." From February to late summer 2012, nearly 180,000 students were on strike. During that time, there were repeated incidents of mass arrests, police occupation of campuses, and police brutality while thousands of students marched in the streets on a daily basis. People took to the streets banging pots and pans to protest the Charest government's controversial Bill 78. The bill, passed on May 18, 2012 restricted groups of 50 or more from gathering and made it illegal for students to protest on or near university grounds. Labelled "draconian" by its critics, the passing of Bill 78 sparked one of the largest acts of civil disobedience in Canadian history when an estimated 300,000 - 400,000 students marched in the streets on May 22, 2012. Education Minister Line Beauchamp resigned and students declared victory when the Charest government was forced to call – and subsequently lost – a General Election in September 2012.
Please join us for this exciting event and learn more the Quebec student uprising. Refreshments will be provided by Aurora Farm. We will also be giving away 20 free youth memberships to the Council of Canadians – don't miss out!