On January 16^th, Concordia University’s Journalism Student Association voted unanimously to participate in a one-week strike against unpaid internships in the province of Quebec. This action will coincide with a province-wide general unlimited strike against unpaid internships expected to be held in February of 2019.

The Journalism Student Association has adopted the position that all interns in the province of Quebec, including journalism interns, be adequately remunerated for their labour. By taking part in this broader movement, these students are not only acting in solidarity with students in other departments, they are also sending a clear message to their current and future employers about the working conditions that they demand to be afforded. These brave students are keeping in line with a strong student movement tradition in Quebec and should be commended for doing so.

The CWA Canada Student/Associate Members stand in solidarity with the Concordia University Journalism Student Association and with the broader student movement demanding an end to unpaid internships in Quebec. We recognize that unpaid internships drive down wages for journalists and contribute to precarity for working journalists. Requiring journalists to engage in unpaid labour also structurally discourages the poor, people of colour and other marginalized people from entering the field altogether. For these reasons, we support this action and encourage everyone to join these students on their picket lines in a strong showing of support.

In Solidarity,

The CWA Canada Associate Membership Program Steering Committee