October 31st demonstration : Unmask the FTAA ! Stop the FTAA !

Press release
For immediate release

From : Canadian Federation of Students, Québec component (CFS-Q)
Association pour une Solidarité Syndicale Étudiante (ASSÉ)

Day of Action and Student Strike to Stop the FTAA

Montréal, October 28th 2002 – In solidarity with the Hemispheric Day of Action and Strike movement, the Association pour une Solidarité Syndicale Étudiante (ASSÉ) and the Canadian Federation of Students, Québec component (CFS-Q) announce the Unmask the FTAA ! Stop the FTAA ! demonstration: Montreal, October 31st.

On October 31st the hemispheric movement to stop the FTAA will take action in Quebec, and across Canada. This August, the CFS-Q and ASSÉ took the initiative to unite students from across the country and form the pan-Canadian Solidarity Network to Stop the FTAA (SNSF), whose members are organizing events for October 31st in almost every province. Since the beginning of October, many student associations in Quebec have held general assemblies to vote on official strike mandates for October 31st and in some cases for November 1st. Throughout the month, numerous informational, educational and artistic activities have taken place in many schools. According to Aimee van Drimmelen, spokesperson of the CFS-Q : “Students have reacted to the October 31st Day of Action and Student Strike very enthusiastically, even though many are only hearing about the FTAA for the first time. The detrimental effects on education, health, labour rights, and the environment brought about by existing free trade deals will only be intensified throughout the Americas by signing the FTAA. Students have futures to worry about, and it is no surprise that they are concerned with the negative impacts of the FTAA both at home and abroad.