05) OVERTURN THE CONVICTION OF GABRIEL NADEAU-DUBOIS

     The Central Committee of the Communist Party of Canada strongly condemns the conviction and sentencing of student leader Gabriel Nadeau‑Dubois, on a charge of contempt of court, by Quebec superior court Justice Denis Jacques.

     Nadeau‑Dubois is the former co‑spokesperson of the Coalition large de l'Association pour une solidarité syndicale étudiante or CLASSE ‑ the main student union coalition behind the 2012 Quebec student strike called to defend the right to accessible education.

     During this magnificent and historic struggle that saw over 300,000 students walk out of their classes and equally large street mobilizations, the Quebec government attempted to break the resistance by denying students their long‑established right to autonomously and democratically organize through general assemblies, strike votes and picket lines. Instead, the previous Charest Liberal government encouraged and directly facilitated anti‑democratic injunctions by the minority of students who opposed the strike, campus‑by‑campus.

     The charge of contempt of court arose in this context. On May 13, 2012, Gabriel Nadeau‑Dubois stated in a Radio Canada interview "I think that it is completely legitimate for students to undertake the means necessary to respect the democratic choice to strike ... It's completely regrettable that a minority of students are using the courts to go around decisions that were made collectively. If students need to form picket lines to ensure that their strike votes are respected, we think that's completely legitimate."

     Therefore he has been convicted for expressing a political opinion. Justice Denis Jacques has been exposed as a donor to the former Charest Liberal government. It is not a coincidence that he explicitly based his decision on another anti‑democratic ruling that attacked the rights of working people and organized labour: the 1972 court case which tried to smash the ten‑day general strike by the Front commun of Quebec trade unions through injunctions and imprisoning union presidents.

     The Communist Party of Canada strongly decries the conviction of Nadeau‑Dubois and sees it as a serious attack on freedom of speech, civil liberties as well as democratic, labour and student rights. The conviction continues the repressive and anti‑democratic policies of the previous Charest Liberal government, which sought to criminalize the right to free speech and assembly. It should also be seen as part of the serious and escalating attack on the right to protest across the country.

     The decision has also drawn attention to the hundreds of students still facing charges from the Quebec student strike last fall. The fact that Nadeau‑Dubois quickly received an outpouring of donations to launch a January appeal is an indication of the strong support of the Quebec people behind his case. We call for the conviction to be overturned and that the Quebec judiciary drop all charges against the student strikers. We also reaffirm our support to freeze, reduce and eliminate all tuition fees, replace student loans with living‑stipend grants, and for a system of free, quality, public, not‑for‑profit and accessible education from cradle to grave.

(The above article is from the January 1-31, 2013, issue of People's Voice, Canada's leading communist newspaper. Articles can be reprinted free if the source is credited. Subscription rates in Canada: $30/year, or $15 low income rate; for U.S. readers - $45 US per year; other overseas readers - $45 US or $50 CDN per year. Send to People's Voice, c/o PV Business Manager, 706 Clark Drive, Vancouver, BC, V5L 3J1.)