Lopsided federal subsidy to Quebec a common refrain

 

 

Having lived in Montreal for three years after completing an undergraduate degree in '02, I got a sense of the contempt some (NOT ALL) Quebecois have for Canadians by gauging various opinions on the federal subsidy of cultural endeavors in the distinct province.  I was dating a Montrealer at the time who was in the midst of her bachelor's degree at Concordia University and we got into an argument over the 'out of province fees' Canadian students from outside of Quebec are forced to pay to attend universities in the province.   Quebec university tuition for its residents is less than half of that which it charges to outsider Canadian students studying in the province.    While international tuition rates are common practice around the world, Quebec remains the only province in Canada to charge higher tuition to out-of-province students at all its post-secondary educational institutions.   It is an outright attack on the principles of a country in which all of its citizens should have equal financial access to a university education. 

Furthermore, the fact that tuition is so low for Quebecers demonstrates the province's belief that it is not their responsibility to fund their educational institutions, but rather, Canada's, which many Quebecois want no part of, financially or spiritually.   My girlfriend at the time, was of the opinion that Quebec's position was in some way, morally justified, and that the rest of Canada remained indebted to them -  that my angst was merely jealously.   I was not jealous however, I was upset.  Why should a four year undergraduate degree cost over $20,000 in Ontario and less than $10,000 for Quebecers studying in Quebec?

Clearly the rest of the country was (and continues to) subsidize universities in Quebec and today, the trend is continuing with the proposal for a new NHL approved rink planned for Quebec City.   Why is it that in Vancouver, Toronto, Ottawa, and even Montreal, NHL rinks were built privately, but now Quebec City is clamouring for nearly fifty percent worth of federal subsidy to build an arena for a city that does not even have an NHL team?  Worst of all, Prime Minister Stephen Harper and Co. seem interested.  At all costs, I'm praying they stick a harpoon in this idea and spend the money where it might be useful.   How about lowering tuition for ALL Canadian students studying outside of Quebec?  That would be nice.

The fact of the matter is, this is a staid old game being played out here and it needs to be stopped.   For a long time now, Quebec has been able to stand on its own two feet, and it is time that it does so.  It is home to Montreal, one of the most culturally diverse and interesting metropolitan cities in North America that has raised international cultural sensations such as Leonard Cohen, Rufus Wainwright, Mordecai Richler, Pierre Trudeau and The Arcade Fire.  If the province is as truly independent as it claims to be, prove it and stop crying loup!

Bombing the Museum at the Guggenheim, Bilbao

I´ve spent the last week and a half or so vacationing in Spain with my girlfriend - a much needed break from the exhausting stress of completing my degree.

We´ve spent most of our vacation in Barcelona, but made short trips to San Sebastian and Bilbao to see Frank Gehry´s Guggenheim.  It is a truly special building and is much more of a homage to the Spanish architect Antonio Gaudi than I had imagined.  The Richard Serra ´The Matter of Time´ exhibition on the main floor is one of the most phenomenonologically challenging pieces I have ever come across.  I am sure this is not news to many, as the pieces were installed along with the building in 1997, but I thought it worth mentioning since I had not ever visited Guggenheim in Bilbao.

Another challenging exhibition was the museum´s survey of artist Anish Kapoor.  Developed at the Royal Academy of Art in London, the exhibition has traveled to Bilbao and been a smash success to gallery audiences for its ingenious use of materials, machinery, and space, which go as far as to physically assault gallery walls more commonly used for hanging and honouring works of art.   Kapoor´s cannon, which violently fires globs of rich red pigment into a corner, asks us to question the very nature of the exhibition space and what it has evolved to commemorate over time. As Kapoor´s bloody red pigment smears against the walls and falls to the floor, I cannot help but wonder whether he is assaulting the history of the exhibition of historical and cultural artifacts, or more precisely, the nature of representation, which has often centered its own attack on those caught within the gaze.  His is a violent performance that shocks us into questioning the purpose of the museum/gallery and the cause of the artist.