Nanny States Make for Spoiled Students

The student protests of Quebec have made for good news. It even ended up on the radar of some international news outlets. Stories of striking unity between students against the state for some greater moral reason seems to have all the glitter needed to fuel the movement and its coverage. But that doesn't look to be the full story.

A recent piece in the National Post entitled "The Language of Protest" highlights the fact that McGill, an internationally acclaimed university and one of the two Anglo universities, have been mostly absent in the movement. The article brings about an interesting position stating that this may have more to do with the mentality of what it means to be French, or more accurately Quebecois, referring back to revolutions and the lifestyle of the actual French.

Quebec is noted to be a 'nanny state' with a great deal of public programs that differ from the rest of Canada. Even with the lowest tuition rates in the country, a small hike to align prices with ongoing rates of inflation have sparked outrage.

What's the real problem here?

It may seem like an ultra-conservative criticism to think that the French-Canadians are being unreasonable, but it only looks that way when you stand so far to the left. Maybe if they took the time to stand a bit closer to centre, things might make a bit more sense. Having an increase in costs to cover the constant rise in prices is an inevitable part of the modern economy. Food prices have been climbing steadily and the numerous cafes that plaster around the Quebec region haven't been able to avoid the increased costs of coffee either. So, why should tuition be any kind of an exception? The only reason to think this is because this particular cost is controllable within the local scale.

It seems a little bit selfish though to battle pricing purely from a local standpoint when, at the greater scale, prices continue to rise. The way I see it is that the Quebecois have been spoiled by their maternal government. If we take the conservative's hard stance as paternal in nature, what we have here is a battle of favoratism between different styles of politics. The nurturing, caring style of the left, versus the less forgiving, practical style of the right.

In my view, it is time to face reality and understand that the state can't protect you forever. At some point it is time for Dad to kick you out of the house and force you to find a job and fend for yourself. As a centrist, I highly favour a socialist method, but public funding is only meant as a source of guidance, not a free ride. As an Albertan, I can empathize with the students wanting to reduce tuition as some of the highest fees stand within this province. Balance is key. So while the freer lifestyle of liberal provinces seems enticing, the conservative view of hard work and social contribution also has its merits.

At some point, we have to pay up simply because that's a part of life. Prices change. People lose jobs. People get sick. There are many things that we cannot control for as individuals, and so the government should provide measures to allow the best chance of survival. A second chance is always around the corner. This does not mean, however, that the state should bear all the responsibility. Sometimes the children have to take care of the parents when they're down and out. This is one of those times. It's time to start charging the kids to stay at home, and the rent is more than reasonable.