Massey students walk out

by Adam D’Andrea

Students at Vincent Massey Secondary School had one clear message to passersby Oct. 3: “Kill the bill!”

At 10:30 a.m. several hundred students walked out of class in protest of the passing of Bill 115: Putting Students First Act. When junior lunch began at 11 a.m. several hundred more students joined their peers in front of the school.

The walkout was organized by Grade 11 Massey student Jacob Lapointe, who used social media to get the message out to fellow students.

“I started the Facebook group but it was up to everybody else to invite their friends. So really, everybody organized it,” said Lapointe.

Although the idea of a walkout was started at Massey, public secondary school students citywide walked out of their respective schools after hearing about it from friends or on Facebook.

Lapointe said he believes the bill will be overturned because it is unfair and has not benefitted the teachers in any way.

“Basically the government just forced it on them and they’re losing a lot of their benefits. They don’t have the right to collective bargaining which is very important and is part of their constitutional rights,” said Lapointe.

Bill 115 passed its third and final reading Sept. 11 and is an attempt by the McGuinty government to reduce Ontario’s $13 billion deficit. It eliminates the teachers’ right to strike and freezes their wages for the next two years.

Graham Reid, a Massey student in his fifth year, said the students must be the voice for the teachers at this time.

“If they can’t walk out we will. They can’t freeze their pay, they can’t not let them protest and fight for themselves. As a Canadian, that’s not right,” said Reid. “The teachers and the government need to work together. The government can’t just step in and be a big bully. That’s not part of being what Canadian is.”

The bill has come under attack by teachers and labour unions, with many teachers protesting by refusing to take part in extracurricular activities. Massey student Zackaria LaChance, 17, said he walked out of class because he cares about extracurricular activities.

“You’re gonna threaten to take away my prom, my semi, all the dances … and if you’re

gonna take all that away I’m going on strike and I’m walking out,” said LaChance.

Lapointe also said he is concerned about the fate of extracurricular activities for himself and future students.

“It might mean that Grade 9 students starting next year might never get to be on a sports team, might never get to go to a dance and some students might never get to go to prom,” said Lapointe.

High school students throughout Ontario have staged similar protests in response to Bill 115, with walkouts occurring in Toronto, Ottawa and other large cities.