The Association pour une solidarité syndicale étudiante ("Association for Student Union Solidarity"; ASSE) was a Canadian
student union
A students' union or student union, is a student organization present in many colleges, universities, and high schools. In higher education, the students' union is often accorded its own building on the campus, dedicated to social, organizatio ...
founded in February 2001 in
Sherbrooke
Sherbrooke ( , ) is a city in southern Quebec, Canada. It is at the confluence of the Saint-François River, Saint-François and Magog River, Magog rivers in the heart of the Estrie administrative region. Sherbrooke is also the name of a territ ...
, Quebec, which contained about 56,000
CEGEP
A CEGEP ( or ; , ; also written CÉGEP and cegep) is a publicly funded college providing general, professional, academic or a mix of programs; they are exclusive to the province of Quebec's education system. A loanword from French, it ori ...
and
university
A university () is an educational institution, institution of tertiary education and research which awards academic degrees in several Discipline (academia), academic disciplines. ''University'' is derived from the Latin phrase , which roughly ...
-level students in 34 member student unions throughout
Quebec
Quebec is Canada's List of Canadian provinces and territories by area, largest province by area. Located in Central Canada, the province shares borders with the provinces of Ontario to the west, Newfoundland and Labrador to the northeast, ...
. The ASSÉ positioned itself distinctly from the other province-wide student unions, the
Fédération étudiante universitaire du Québec
The Fédération étudiante universitaire du Québec (; "University Student Federation of Quebec"; FEUQ) was a federation of university students' unions created following the lifting of the tuition freeze in 1989. It included 9 member association ...
(FEUQ), the
Fédération étudiante collégiale du Québec (FECQ) and the
Table de concertation étudiante du Québec (TaCEQ), namely rejecting hierarchical leadership structures in favor of autonomous and horizontal approaches.
The ASSÉ formed the core of the
Coalition large de l'ASSÉ (CLASSE), a temporary coalition created to counter the
tuition
Tuition may refer to:
*Formal education, education within a structured institutional framework
*Tutoring, private academic help
*Tuition payments
Tuition payments, usually known as tuition in American English and as tuition fees in Commonwealth ...
hike and coordinate
2012 Quebec student protests.
The organization was dissolved on May 31, 2019, a decision adopted in congress on April 28, 2019. A transition committee was also formed on this date.
Philosophy
The Association pour une Solidarité Syndicale Étudiante advocated for
free education
Free education is education funded through government spending or charitable organizations rather than tuition funding. Primary school and other comprehensive or compulsory education is free in most countries (often not including primary textboo ...
at all levels and for all, including the abolition of student debt, conservation of quality post-secondary education, and the democratization of schools, while opposing the commodification of education.
It deployed mass mobilization as a catalyst for social change, favouring local general assemblies as decision-making structures as opposed to referendums, considered less democratic.
It also fought for responsible taxation, the defense of minority rights, the promotion of
alter-globalization
Alter-globalization (also known as alter-globo, alternative globalization or alter-mundialization—from the French alter- mondialisation) is a social movement whose proponents support global cooperation and interaction, but oppose what they desc ...
, demilitarization, implementation of
public housing
Public housing, also known as social housing, refers to Subsidized housing, subsidized or affordable housing provided in buildings that are usually owned and managed by local government, central government, nonprofit organizations or a ...
policy, and the irrevocable right to
dissidence
A dissident is a person who actively challenges an established political or religious system, doctrine, belief, policy, or institution. In a religious context, the word has been used since the 18th century, and in the political sense since the 20 ...
.
The basic principles of the ASSÉ lie on the foundations of student unionism as established in Article 1 of the Charter of Grenoble in 1946. The charter stipulates that the student is a young intellectual worker. Thus, students must be associated on a union basis. The ASSÉ believes in the necessity of fighting to save the gains made by past student movements, as well as to make new gains, through permanent
protest
A protest (also called a demonstration, remonstration, or remonstrance) is a public act of objection, disapproval or dissent against political advantage. Protests can be thought of as acts of cooperation in which numerous people cooperate ...
. Considering education as a right rather than as a privilege, the ASSÉ is based on the following principles:
1. For quality, free, accessible,
secular
Secularity, also the secular or secularness (from Latin , or or ), is the state of being unrelated or neutral in regards to religion. The origins of secularity can be traced to the Bible itself. The concept was fleshed out through Christian hi ...
, non-discriminatory public education;
2. For adequate financial aid whose aim is to eliminate student debt and ensure that fundamental needs are met;
3. For a public education network free from private-sector intrusion, including
contract manufacturing
A contract manufacturer (CM) is a manufacturer that contracts with a firm for components or products (in which case it is a turnkey supplier). It is a form of outsourcing. A contract manufacturer performing packaging operations is called copacker ...
;
4. For democratisation of educational institutions from a perspective of self-management;
5. For union solidarity with all international progressive fights whose aim is society's well-being;
6. Against any and all forms of globalisation that support the predominance of profit over the population's well-being
7. For a combative feminism aiming to abolish patriarchy and all forms of oppression and discrimination.
Member associations
; College-level
* Association générale des étudiants du collège André-Laurendeau (AGECAL)
* Association étudiante du collège de Valleyfield (AGECoV)
* Association étudiante du cégep de Saint-Félicien (AECSF)
Association étudiante du Cégep de Matane(AECM)
Association étudiante du Cégep de Sherbrooke(AÉCS)
Association étudiante du Cégep Saint-Laurent(AECSL)
* Association générale étudiante du Cégep de Drummondville (AGECD)
Association générale des étudiantes et étudiants du Collège Lionel-Groulx(AGEECLG)
* Association générale étudiante du Cégep de Saint-Jérôme (AGES)
Syndicat Étudiant du Cégep Marie-Victorin(SECMV)
Société générale des étudiantes et des étudiants du collège de Maisonneuve(SOGÉÉCOM)
; University-level
Association facultaire des étudiant-e-s en art de l'UQAM(AFéa-UQAM)
Association étudiante d’anthropologie de l’Université de Montréal(AEAUM)
Association des étudiant(e)s en philosophie de l'Université de Montréal(ADÉPUM)
Association étudiante des cycles supérieures en science politique de l'UQAM(AECSSP-UQAM)
Association étudiante d'histoire de l'Université de Montréal(AEHUM)
Association étudiante du module de science politique de l'UQAM(AÉMSP-UQAM)
* Association étudiante du module de sciences sociales de l'Université du Québec en Outaouais (AEMSS-UQO)
Association facultaire étudiante de sciences humaines de l’UQAM(AFESH-UQAM)
* Regroupement des étudiants et étudiantes en sociologie de l'Université de Montréal (RÉÉSUM)
Association des étudiantes et étudiants en Anthropologie de l’Université Laval(AÉÉA-UL)
* Association étudiante de science politique et philosophie (baccalauréat bidisicplinaire) de l'Université de Montréal (AESPEP)
* Association de création et études littéraires de l'université Laval (ACELUL)
* Association étudiante de théâtre de l'université Laval (AGÉTUL)
* Association Générale des Etudiantes et Etudiants Prégradués en Philosophie (AGEEPP-UL)
* Association des physiciens de l'Université Laval (ADÉPUL)
* Regroupement des étudiant-e-s en sociologie de l'Université Laval (RÉSUL)
* Art History and Communication Studies Graduate Student Association of
McGill University
McGill University (French: Université McGill) is an English-language public research university in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. Founded in 1821 by royal charter,Frost, Stanley Brice. ''McGill University, Vol. I. For the Advancement of Learning, ...
(AHCSGSA)
* Fine Arts Student Alliance of
Concordia University
Concordia University () is a Public university, public English-language research university located in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. Founded in 1974 following the merger of Loyola College (Montreal), Loyola College and Sir George Williams Universit ...
(FASA)
* School of Community & Public Affairs Student Association of
Concordia University
Concordia University () is a Public university, public English-language research university located in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. Founded in 1974 following the merger of Loyola College (Montreal), Loyola College and Sir George Williams Universit ...
(SCPASA-AÉÉAPC)
Executive council
* Hind Fazazi, coordination secretary and spokesperson
* Louis-Philippe Véronneau, treasurer
* Jeanne Reynolds, internal relations secretary
* Marc Boulanger, internal relations secretary and spokesperson
* Myriam Leduc, external relations secretary
* Samuel-Élie Lesage, academic affairs secretary
* François Desroches, information secretary
2005 student strike
On January 29, 2005, confronted with the refusal of then-Education Minister
Pierre Reid to negotiate about financial aid reform, the ASSÉ holds a congress at
Cégep de Saint-Laurent
Cégep de Saint-Laurent () is a public French-language college located in the Saint-Laurent borough in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. It is located just south of the English-language Vanier College.
History
The college traces its origins to the mer ...
where it invites non-member associations to create the CASSÉÉ, the Coalition de l'Association pour une Solidarité Syndicale Étudiante Élargie. In February, the CASSÉÉ launches a series of
referendum
A referendum, plebiscite, or ballot measure is a Direct democracy, direct vote by the Constituency, electorate (rather than their Representative democracy, representatives) on a proposal, law, or political issue. A referendum may be either bin ...
s and general assemblies over the start of an unlimited
general strike
A general strike is a strike action in which participants cease all economic activity, such as working, to strengthen the bargaining position of a trade union or achieve a common social or political goal. They are organised by large coalitions ...
around three main demands:
# The retroactive abolition of the reform to the Aide financière du Québec;
# The abandonment of all decentralization and market alignment projects of the
college network;
# Both demands go towards
free education
Free education is education funded through government spending or charitable organizations rather than tuition funding. Primary school and other comprehensive or compulsory education is free in most countries (often not including primary textboo ...
and abolition of student debt.
On February 24, 2005, the first associations start the strike movement. On March 16, 2005, 70,000 students are CASSÉE members, out of the 230,000 students on strike at that moment, the others being
FEUQ or
FECQ members.
The CASSÉÉ is excluded from the negotiation table by the new Education Minister
Jean-Marc Fournier
Jean-Marc Fournier (born 7 October 1959) is a Quebec politician and a lawyer. He represented the riding of Saint-Laurent in the National Assembly of Quebec from 2010 to 2018, and previously represented the riding of Châteauguay from 1994 to 2 ...
because of its refusal to condemn violent acts posed during the strike. The CASSÉÉ, however, claims that it is to divide the student movement that the minister excluded it, since, shortly after the strike began, on February 16, 2005 at
Montebello, students assembled by the FEUQ and the FECQ forced
Château Montebello
The Fairmont Le Château Montebello, formerly and commonly known as the Château Montebello, is a historic hotel and resort complex in Montebello, Quebec, Montebello, Quebec, Canada. The resort complex includes a large game reserve and a large woo ...
's door with a
battering ram
A battering ram is a siege engine that originated in ancient times and was designed to break open the masonry walls of fortifications or splinter their wooden gates. In its simplest form, a battering ram is just a large, heavy log carried ...
to disturb a
Parti libéral du Québec
The Quebec Liberal Party (QLP; , PLQ) is a provincial political party in Quebec. It has been independent of the federal Liberal Party of Canada since 1955.
The QLP has traditionally supported a form of Quebec federalist ideology with nuan ...
caucus, leading to a Sûreté du Québec intervention.
The strike ends after the signature of an accord by the student unions and Minister Fournier that the Association pour une Solidarité Syndicale Étudiante qualifies of a "bargain accord" and is rejected by a majority of general assemblies, who still vote to return to class after 7 weeks of strike.
2012 student strike
Beginning in the summer 2011, the ASSÉ threatened the Quebec government to withart aning unlimited general strike.
Organizational chart
Congress
The Congress is the supreme decision-making instance. It is made up of delegates of all member associations and works according to the one member, one vote principle. It normally convenes two or three times a year. In the annual congress, elections to fill the executive positions are held.
Coordination council
The coordination council aims to coordinate the work of the following instances:
Executive council
The executive council of the ASSÉ implements the mandates from the congress and the coordination council.
Permanent committees
*Women's committee
*Newspaper committee
*Mobilization committee
Work committees
The task of the work committees is to help the executive council and the member associations in their mandates.
*Training committee
*Social struggles committee
*Information committee
*Research and academic affairs committee
Regional councils
The regional councils serve to coordinate the associations in their union work.
*Conseil régional de l'ASSÉ à Montréal (CRAM)
*Mobilisation des associations solidaires du Sud-Est (MASSE)
*Conseil régional avant-gardiste de l'ASSÉ dans les Laurentides, Laval et Lanaudière (CRAALLL)
*Front régional de l'ASSÉ à Québec (FRAQ)
*Conseil régional de l'ASSÉ au Saguenay-Lac-Saint-Jean
*Conseil régional de l'ASSÉ du Centre-du-Québec
See also
*
Coalition large de l'ASSÉ (CLASSE)
*
2012 Quebec student strike
1 (one, unit, unity) is a number, Numeral (linguistics), numeral, and glyph. It is the first and smallest Positive number, positive integer of the infinite sequence of natural numbers. This fundamental property has led to its unique uses in o ...
*
2005 Quebec student strike
*
Quebec City
Quebec City is the capital city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Quebec. As of July 2021, the city had a population of 549,459, and the Census Metropolitan Area (including surrounding communities) had a populati ...
Summit of the Americas
The Summit of the Americas (SOA) are institutionalized gatherings of heads of state and government of the member states of the Western Hemisphere where leaders discuss common policy issues, affirm shared values and commit to concerted actions at th ...
, in 2001
*
Fédération étudiante collégiale du Québec (FECQ)
*
Fédération étudiante universitaire du Québec
The Fédération étudiante universitaire du Québec (; "University Student Federation of Quebec"; FEUQ) was a federation of university students' unions created following the lifting of the tuition freeze in 1989. It included 9 member association ...
(FEUQ)
References
External links
*
ASSÉ's official website*
ASSÉ's organizational chart
{{DEFAULTSORT:Association pour une solidarite syndicale etudiante
Groups of students' unions
Quebec students' associations
Organizations based in Montreal
Organizations established in 2001
Organizations disestablished in 2019
2012 Quebec student protests