By Frank Pingue
When fighting the man, protesting is student’s best weapon, said Buzz Hargrove, president of the Canadian Auto Workers Union.
Hargrove spoke to a crowd of about 100 students last Wednesday afternoon, during Ryerson’s 13th annual Union Fair.
He said it’s difficult for people in today’s society to gain political and economic power when corporations have control.
“There has to be a better distribution of wealth that this country is making. [Corporations] are so powerful that everyone else has to concede to them.”
Hargrove said protests are a strong step towards achieving a balance between the classes.
“We have to keep raising an awareness of the issues that are currently out there and hopefully by the next election things will change for the better,” Hargrove said during his 90-minute speech. He added lobbying works best for people with power in society.
“If you’re a corporation then it clearly works, but if you’re on the opposite side then it doesn’t work.”
Using the GST as an example, he said lobbying corporations beat out polls showing 85 per cent of people were opposed to the tax.
One student asked how Hargrove fights for things that are “out of reach” every day.
“The thing that gets me going in the morning is reading the Globe and Mail,” Hargrove said. “If I’m not mad them I’d be surprised.”
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