Student groups at odds over national protest

By Alexis Roman

(CUP) CANADA'S TWO LARGEST STUDENT organizations, the Canadian Federationof Stu- dents (CFS) and the Canadian Alliance of Students (CASA), are involved ina tug-of-war over the timing of a national student protest against the federal government’s discussion paper on social reforms. Immediate plans for a protest were launched by the Student Federa- tion of the University of Ottawa (SFUO), which announced its intention to march on Parlia- ment Hill in Ottawa on Nov. 16. This demon- stration, however, was not planned with the CFS.

»’The CFS doesn’t have a mandate to help the University of Ottawa because of our general meeting scheduled for November,”’ saidLouise Carriere, CFS communications co- ordinator. Carriere said the CFS will hold its general meeting Nov. 8 to Nov. 14, when members will decide what action to take about the federal government’s discussion paper.

”’Something of this magnitude takes months of careful planning,’’ Carriere said. “‘January makes much more sense for a pro- test.”’

Although the CFS hasn’t formally

Liberals to hear view of Canadians on social reforms

Fraser Needham (CUP) THE LIBERAL GOVERNMENT WILL HEAR the opinions of Canadians on its proposed changes to welfare, post-secondary education and unemployment insurance. From Nov. | to Dec. 16, town hall meetings, open forums and community meetings will be happening from Whitehorse, N.W.T. to Fredericton, N.B. The forums will be chaired by Liberal MP Frances Leblanc. Not all student groups are optimistic about the forums. ”’What’s the point?’’ asks Guy Caron, chair of the CanadianFederation of Students. ‘* As far as I’m concerned, the reforms are as

Extreme drunkenness as a defense for r

Shira Katz (CUP)

CONCORDIA'S WOMEN CENTRE HAS launched a petition against a recent Supreme Court of Canada ruling citing extreme drunkenness as a defence forrape. The petition will be sent to federal Justice Minister Allan Rock. Program co-ordinator Emily Paradis says the petition is very important as an educational and empowerment tool.

”*T don’t have a lot of faith in the legal system to rectify the situation of violence against women on its own,”’ Paradis said.’’The petition might make a difference most importantly as

[November 8, 1 994

planned it yet, Carriere said it has distributed letters and hand bills to all its members in order toinform students of how changes to education funding will affect them. The CFS also has prepared a newsletter to be released in Novem- ber.

’’Our primary goal is to try and get as much information to ourmembers as possi- ble,’’ Carriere said.

Many universities, however, have joined SFUO and CASA in theirapproach to a na- tional strike, saying that the CFS is being toopassive.

””We’ve been working day and night,”’ said Hal Maclean, a vice-president at Dalhousie. ““We’re working with CASA schools tryingto mesh them all together.”’

Maclean listed a number of activities that students at Dalhousie are working on to help the U of O’s cause, including creating student societies to lobby the federal govern- ment, working with their local MP and trying to get her to resign if she doesn’t help univer- sity students, sending letters of protest to MPs, and pressuring their provincial government to

good as gone through.’’ Nevertheless, Caron says the CFS will be at the forums to protest on behalf of students.

The reforms were presented as a discus- sion paper Oct. 5 by Human Resources Minis- ter Lloyd Axworthy. Among other drastic changes to Canada’s social programs, the pa- per proposes cutting the federal government’s $2.6 billion in funding to the provinces for post-secondary education.

Carleton economics professor Frances Woolley, who will bespeaking at the Ottawa forum, says the proposed transfer cut topost-

aneducational tool, so that men and women will start talking aboutwhat role misogyny and alcohol play in their lives. The petition is also very empow- ering because it allows people to take a stance on this issue.”’

The Supreme Court of Canada ruled that 72-year-old Henri Daviault could use extreme drunk- enness as a defence for rape.Daviault is accused of raping a 65-year-old woman after consuming seven or eight beers and 40 ounces of brandy. A Quebec SuperiorCourt found him not guilty, but a new trial in the Quebec Court of Appeals later found him guilty. It held that extreme intoxication-- equal to

insanity-- cannot be used as a defence for sexual:

assault. However, when Daviault appealed to the Supreme Court of Canada, it ordered a new trial based on the ruling that extreme intoxication can be used as a defence for sexual assault, with the burden of proof resting with the accused.

take a tough stance against the discussion paper.

When asked about the CFS’s decision to wait for its general conference before plan- ning a national protest, Maclean replied,’’We’ve been putting in over 40 hours a week, and they’re still just talking.”’

While the CFS is not yet organizing a national protest, it is working to get students mobilized at the local level.

”’We havea great stake in this as well,”’

said Angela Mann,Saskatchewan component chair for the CFS at the U of R. ‘“Thisaffects us just as much as it does someone sitting in the Owl[campus pub] right now.”’ : Mann said she is working with CFS Saskatchewan and more than 15 volunteers from the U of R to help set up information tables on Nov. 1 and Nov. 2.

Along with the information on what the discussion paper proposes, Mann plans to dis- tribute a draft letter outlining the CFS’s posi- tion, which students can sign and mail to their MPs.

’’We’re in the beginning stages of eve-

secondary education poses many potential prob- lems.

This is an inter-generational equity issue,’’ says Woolley. ‘“The generation born in the 1970s is facing record levels ofunemployment and lower real wages. This policy [review] could worsen theincome distri- bution gap between young and old.”’

Woolley adds: ‘‘Will students be able to repay the debt loads that will be forced upon them under this program?”’

Caroline Krebbs, one of the health cen- tre’s forum organizers, says the social policy

Justice Minister Allan Rock has promised to study the implications of the judgment. He plans to release a paper discussing how to stiffen penal- ties for criminal intoxication.

Estel Gravel, Crown Prosecutor responsi- ble for the Montreal court house sexual assault case team, feels the ruling won’t pose a problem. ‘‘I don’t see a big problem because it’s very limited, very restrained. We're talking about an extreme drunkenness, equivalent to automatism or mental alienation. To use this defence, the witness will have to prove that it was extreme drunkenness with an expert,’’ Gravel said. ‘‘It won’t be possible for most people to use this defence because it’s neces- sary to prove that you aren’t there in your mind.”’

Despite claims to the rarity of extreme drunkenness, women’sgroups are more worried about the social implications of thedecision. ‘“The decision implies an excuse for sexual assault. It

rything I know how to do. If students ou have any suggestions or ideas, I’d abso love to hear them.”’

When asked about SFUO’ splans,| said, ‘“They’re rushing into this and ai everyone about it. . . I think the media s know, but not two months ahead of tin,

Some student representatives found common ground betweenthe two gr positions.

”*Getting anything done at any tin good idea,’’ said LaraRooke, a vice-pre; at the University of New Brunswick. Rook the U of NB is currently working with bo CFS andCASA. ‘‘The CFS hasa great m of members . .. We'd be stupid not to us

Rooke also said that the U of NBy launching a’’No-more-smoke-and-ni paper’’ campaign on Nov. 1. She saidthe ciation will support SFUO’s protest, by chartermember of the CFS, will be going: with any plans the CFS has.

”The bottom line is to do as mu possible,”’ she said.

review has left many unansv questions.’’The purpose of the forums increase awareness on theimplications | social policy review. Not en

- publicdiscussion has occurred so far

‘hope we can achieve thisthrough the fo Krebbs says.

Nigel Chippindale, a member social security task team with the Hi sources Ministry, says a report on the isexpected to be presented in time fo! February’s budget.

ape

matters very little how the court in decision if men think it gives them a li sexual assault,’ Paradis said.

Michelle Seguin, co-ordinator at the of the Status of Women at Concordia, i rape is indefensible. ‘‘It’s not a diseas® deliberate choice. Intoxicated or not, 4 responsible for their actions,”’ she said.

According to Gravel, a person might! drunk to know his or her intention. ‘‘To crime we have to do something knowing bad. Sometimes we are unable to prove ti tion. Ina crime it’snecessary to prove the a intention,’’ Gravel said. The ruling will be to other crimes as well, she added. ‘‘If # murder, for example, he will be fined ! slaughter, not murder, and it’s the same sexual assault. It will only be used as 4 extreme drunkenness.”’