Quebec unions shut down construction sites

(May 28)Unions representing 175,00 construction workers in Quebec launched a general strike shutting down major construction projects in Quebec after months of failed labour negotiations.

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Labour federations and construction companies had negotiated late into the night last Tuesday but could not reach a deal before a midnight strike deadline. Workers in the industrial sector want more stable work schedules, but salaries are believed to be the main issue in the residential construction area. Michel Trepanier a spokesperson for the alliance of construction unions said; "Employers are asking us to sacrifice time with our families to be available for work... There are limits and they've been reached." Collective agreements had expired on April 30.

Some large projects in the city of Montreal were halted by the strike, including work on the new Champlain Bridge and the CHUM hospital. Hundreds of workers picketed at the two sites. Montreal is replete with orange construction cranes all of them idle now. Work was also disrupted on the new Turcor highway exchange a key highway stretch in the west end of the city.

Plumber Martin Gauthier supports the strike but hoped a deal could be reached quickly noting that the strike was costly: "I'm not making money today,. Nobody is winning — that's the bottom line." As well as construction workers about 1,400 Quebec government engineers walked of their job at the midnight deadline. The engineers have been in a strike position for almost a year. Union president Mar-Andre Martin said that a week of negotiations had not resulted in any notable progress.

The Quebec government could in time pass back-to-work legislation but will not do so for now. The provincial Labour Minister Dominique Vien said she is hopeful that the construction workers and employers can reach agreement soon saying: "The message I want to send is that it would be better to have a negotiated deal than a special law. I think that everyone here very much agrees with that." She estimated that the strike was costing Quebec economy $45 million a day. She said that the provincial government could not allow the strike to continue long as it would cost Quebec too much. She said the government was prepared to table back-to-work legislation.

Montreal Mayor Denis Coderre urged the province not to be "too patient" before legislating workers back to work. Coderre said: "We're not going to be patient for a long time." The federation of Quebec chambers of commerce also urged a quick end to the dispute. Stephane Forget head of the federation said: "The adage that says 'when the construction industry is doing well, everything is doing well' is also inversely true — a labour conflict has a major and direct impact on all economic sectors." Forget noted that a 10 day work stoppage back in 2013 caused a drop of 1.1 percent in the province's GDP for that year.

Construction job sites that did not join the strike were targeted by flash mobs of pickets that led many workers to lay down their tools. A mobile strike picket unit of up to 40 members moved from one location to another to convince those still working to join the strike. Some had not heard the news but others were reluctant to strike. Quebec has an anti-scab law that would normally prevent employers from still operating but some employer groups claim the law does not apply to the construction industry; if workers agree, some sites could remain open. However many job supervisors decided to comply with the strike as soon as pickets appeared.

Montreal was particularly hard hit as about 60 projects were halted. At the new Champlain Bridge more than 600 employees were off the job. The bridge costing $4.3 billion is slated to be finished by the end of 2018. It is replacing the most-used bridge in Canada. The Turcot exchange is a key cog in Montreal's highway network and is being replaced. Approximately 300,000 used the exchange daily in 2017. The project is just 40 percent complete and is slated to be finished by autumn 2020. Many street projects plus a new hospital project also are shut down for now.

Court rules that Anarchopanda can keep his head

Montreal has a controversial bylaw, P-6, that bans masked protesters in a demonstration and also demands that organizers of any protest file a route of the demonstration with police for it to be legal.

Quebec Superior Court Justice, Chantal Masse, struck down the mask restriction entirely. On the issue of filing a route the justice said that if the demonstration was planned and people were invited a route had to be filed but if the demonstration were spontaneous it was not feasible to file such a route. The bylaw banning masks was passed several years ago on May 18, 2012.

The former Montreal mayor, Gerald Tremblay, introduced P-6 after weeks of protest after the Charest Liberal Quebec provincial government planned to raise university fees. Masks and covered faces were becoming common and protests were often violent. Fines for breaking rules were increased under P-6.

In a protest the following year Anarchopanda, the informal mascot of the 2012 protest, lost his head, which was seized by police. The protests were in part fueled by the new bylaw. The person in the Panda costume, Julien Villeneuve, was fined:The man under the costume, a philosophy professor at the Maisonneuve College, received two $637 fines after he was caught in a kettle — a police manoeuvre to control protesters.A few days later, Villeneuve launched a fund-raising campaign, "Pandaction", to fight the bylaw, a campaign which led ultimately to the ruling that Anarchopanda could keep his head during demonstrations. The protesters won in a separate case as well in which the protesters challenged the right of the city to use the Highway Safety Code to prevent demonstrations.

Villeneuve said he was delighted at the court ruling and said he was optimistic that many protesters still facing stiff fines under the bylaw would see their cases dropped. Villeneuve said he thought that the costume would actually calm tensions with the police. Villeneuve said: "It's a lot easier for a panda to pacify than just a random dude walking in the streets." He said that there good reasons to wear a mask at a protest. Some protesters fear repercussions at their workplace if seen at a demonstration and others fear how recognition might affect their personal life.

Montreal Mayor, Denis Coderre, said he had not yet read the decision. He said that everyone had the right to freedom of expression but wearing a mask and providing authorities with an itinerary of a protest route have nothing to do with that right. He claimed he could not say whether the City of Montreal would appeal the ruling.

Read more: http://www.digitaljournal.com/news/odd+news/anarchopanda-wins-legal-battle-in-quebec-court-to-keep-his-head/article/468415#ixzz4DINTQ9Tb

Saputo to close 3 plants in Canada

Saputo Inc. announced it will close three of its plants in Quebec, Ontario and Atlantic Canada. In all, 230 workers will lose their jobs by the end of next year. The closings are designed to cut costs and improve efficiency of the company.

The shares of Saputo SAP rose one percent on the Toronto Stock exchange on the news. Saputo is based in Montreal Quebec. A plant in Sydney Nova Scotia will close this June after being purchased in 2014. In August, another plant in Princeville, Quebec, will close — it was bought in 2015 and makes goat cheese. The last plant in Ottawa, with 126 employees, will close in December of next year. The Ottawa plant was just purchased from Nielsen in 2008. Production will be diverted to other Saputo plants. The company hopes to save about $9 million annually from the move by 2019. Over the next two years, Saputo plans to invest $32 million in other locations. The company expects it will cost $23 million to close the plants, including a $19 million writedown of fixed assets.

Saputo was founded as a cheese making company in 1954 by an Italian Immigrant Giuseppe Saputo. As well as cheese the business includes other dairy products. It is the 10th largest dairy processor in the work. It expanded from its base in Quebec throughout Canada, in the U.S., Argentina, and Australia through mergers and acquisitions. Saputo is the largest cheese maker in Canada. It operates 25 dairy operations across Canada. As well as the Saputo brand the company also uses Armstrong, Dairyland, Black Creek and several other brand names. The company closed plants in Alberta and the U.S. two years ago.

Spokesperson for Saputo, Sandy Vassiadis, claimed the closures were part of the company strategy to improve efficiency by transferring production to facilities that were not fully used, have more modern equipment, or can be easily expanded. In an interview, she said:"We compare the facilities that do similar products and these ones...couldn't raise the bar to attain efficiency levels like the other plants that do similar products." Saputo is able to close the plants even though Canada has regulations that require milk to stay in the province it is produced. Saputo has other plants in each of the three provinces. Saputo operates 54 plants around the world including 24 in Canada. It employs about 12,000 workers.

Montreal police seize head of protest Panda

On Friday night, April 5, Montreal police seized Anarchopanda's head during a demonstration against a municipal bylaw. Montreal police said that the head was taken because the law forbids the wearing of masks during demonstrations.

Daniel Lacoursiere said the mask was also taken because it "is considered to be an exhibit and could be used in court." The man under the head, Julien Villeneuve, whose head was left intact, is a philosophy professor at Maisonneuve College. He has already received two fines of $637 each as he was caught by police. He was fined both for a wearing a mask and participating in an illegal protest. Back on March 22nd he was only fined for taking part in an illegal protest. The bylaw being protested, P-6, are the guidelines imposed on protesters who demonstrate in Montreal. Protesters object to many of the provisions of the bylaw including the filing of a route itinerary some time before the protest. The bylaw also prohibits the wearing of masks. Anarchopanda's head in police eyes is a mask and that is why it has been seized as an exhibit. In a kettling tactic the Panda was corralled along with 279 others who were each assessed the $637 fine for participating in an illegal assembly.

Anarchopanda has become an icon of the Quebec student protest last spring. His first appearance was on May 8, 2012. The professor under the head, tries to create a buffer between police and students in order to avoid violence at demonstrations. He describes himself as an anarcho-pacifist. In an interview with the Montreal newspaper Le Devoir, Villeneuve said: "If peaceful students deserve to be beat with police batons, pepper sprayed, shot with rubber bullets or flash grenades for demonstrating, so do I."

Villeneuve chose the Panda suit because it was what he thought was the nicest and cheapest costume he could find on eBay China. Before buying the Panda suit, he had tried to use what he calls his "human skin" as a buffer between police and students but he finds that the Panda suit is more practical and less paternalist. There has been no word from the Chinese embassy protesting police brutality in removing the head of a giant panda

Montreal braces for more protests at Grand Prix

The student protests in Quebec and particularly in the city of Montreal show no sign of letting up in spite of a draconian new law meant to crack down on them. Students and others are protesting the Liberal provincial government's tuition hikes plus the crackdown bill 78.

Yesterday Montreal police made 28 arrests after protesters tried to disrupt parties associated with the Canadian Formula One Grand Prix. Business leaders in particular are furious that the races which bring big dollars into Montreal are not given a pass for business as usual.

Police have also arrested a man in connection with a bomb threat targeting the yellow line of the subway that goes to the Grand Prix race. The bomb threat was a hoax but did delay service briefly. Protesters will attempt to disrupt subway travel and hold protests later today June 10. There is a heavy police presence in downtown Montreal.. For more see this CBC article.

Almost 700 arrested in Quebec protests May 23rd

Pressure is mounting on the Liberal Quebec provincial government to do something about the continuing student protests other than simply arrest more people. Protests still occur nightly even after the passage of a draconian new law that can see many of those arrested facing large fines.

The Quebec Education Minister Michelle Courchesne noted that "the situation is really, really quite serious," and that a resolution must be reached. She said that a third round of talks with the three main Quebec student groups would happen in the next few days she promised. The province put forth policies earlier that were widely rejected when students voted on them. All three student groups including CLASSE the largest and most militant have agreed to resume negotiations. However a CLASSE spokesperson said:"If the government really wanted to show its intention to discuss with us, the best move would be to suspend or repeal Law 78," "That would have a concrete effect on tension in Montreal streets." However the Liberal government so far has refused to discuss Bill 78 the new laws governing protests. The Bill has actually broadened support for protests.

In Montreal alone last night police used the controversial tactic of kettling protesters and arrested at least 518 people. Many more were arrested in Quebec city. Demonstrations in both cities broke the provisions of the new law in that organizers would not give police descriptions of their routes.. Although kettling is widely used in Europe a recent report on G8 demonstrations in Toronto criticized the technique as it rounded up many uninvolved bystanders in the herd and they ended up being arrested and hauled away. Students have been protesting tuition hikes planned by the Charest government. Until now Quebec has the lowest tuition rates in Canada. For more see this article.

Mass Montreal protests on 100th day of student strikes

Many protesters wear red or sport red felt squares emblematic of the protests. They are marking the 100th day of student strikes in the province of Quebec. The students are protesting the Quebec government plan to hike tuition fees. Now they are protesting as well legislation to stifle protests.

.Although the Montreal march is the main event there are smaller gatherings in other places in Quebec. Events are also taking place in Vancouver, Calgary, Toronto, and even New York and Paris.

The huge demonstration is taking place shortly after a new Quebec law was passed restricting demonstrations. The main demonstration conforms to the requirement of the new law. There can be huge fines for breaking the law. Some demonstrators plan to break off from the main route to challenge the law.

The crowd comprised a wide range of people from students carrying revolutionary slogans to senior citizens, mothers of students, and people bused in from outside. Although many Quebeckers support the tuition increases they are angry at the Quebec government for passing the restrictive law and also for other issues such as corruption charges. The major and more radical of the student groups CLASSE is encouraging a group of protesters to veer off the main route to defy the new law.

The Quebec government has taken to showing that the law is not that draconian by citing other cities such as Toronto, New York, and Los Angeles that have as tough or tougher laws. It is claimed that Los Angeles requires 40 days notice. The Quebec law requires 8 hours notice. No doubt this just shows what wimps anglophones are as far as CLASSE is concerned. For more see this article. The day and night are not yet over so there could be problems later today as happened over the weekend.

More Montreal protests against Bill 78

Police pepper spray bar patrons in Montreal

This is the 27th consecutive night of protests in Montreal. Protests have surged if anything since a draconian new bill was passed by the Liberal Quebec government of Jean Charest. The bill has infuriated students who have for months been protesting planned tuition increases and have boycotted classes.

However, the new bill is opposed by a much wider group including unions, lawyers, and civil rights advocates. Another municipal bylaw has been passed in Montreal making it an offense to wear masks at demonstrations.

There was a large demonstration on Sunday night with about 5,000 people. They chanted:"Devrait pas nous fâcher," (You shouldn't get us mad.)Demonstrators also gathered earlier at the University of Quebec in Montreal and headed downtown. The police declared the demonstration illegal under the terms of the newly passed laws which requires giving police notice of the event 8 hours before the demonstration and the route to be taken and at what time. Protesters reject such restrictions.

. Two journalists were arrested. One was wearing a ski mask to protect against chemical irritants.and suffered minor injuries. Both were released within half an hour.

The largest and most radical of the Quebec student groups CLASSE had hoped to broaden the movement beyond just student issues. The passage of the bill restricting protests seems to have done that. Several major Quebec labor unions as well as environmental and political groups oppose the new bill and have thrown support behind the protesters.

Michael Moore documentary film maker calls the Quebec student movement amazing. On Sunday he tweeted: "Canadians are in revolt in Quebec over new gov't law limiting democratic rights. No news of it in US press. Their uprising is inspiring #ggi." The most popular hashtag of the protest is #ggi (greve generale illimite (greneral unlimited strike)) The protests are primarily but not exclusively at Francophone institutions hence many of the protest signs are in French. The Quebec government website has been subject to cyber attacks. Student claim that about 150,000 college and university students are still on strike i.e. boycotting classes. For more see this article.

New Quebec bill sparks more protests and condemnation

New emergency legislation in Quebec designed to end the student protests ended up causing protests itself. There were protests against the legislation overnight (May 18) in Montreal involving about 10,000 people.

Bill 78 sets strict rules for public demonstrations and there are heavy fines for violations. Legal experts, union leaders, civil rights groups and of course student groups have all criticized the bill. Even a well known retired judge Gomery has weighed in. See this article.

The president of a Quebec teacher's union Pierre Saint-Germain said:

"I'll tell you, frankly, that with this bludgeon law, it's becoming harder and harder for people and organizations, from students to unions, to express themselves publicly."

Le Devoir a prominent Montreal newspaper had an editorial describing the law as an abuse of power. Constitutional lawyer Julius Grey said of the bill:"What I note in this law is that there is no opening for discussion — what kind of education we want to have, is higher education a question of preparing for the job market, or a more academic question, to promote learning? There is none of that.This is simply an attempt to end a debate, to appear strong and determined."

The law has three main parts. The bill suspends the winter semester in schools where many students boycotted classes. At the same time it imposes heavy fines for anyone attempting to block anyone from accessing schools. Finally it restricts public protests.

The largest student group CLASSE vows legal action against the bill immediately. A spokesperson said:"It's one of the basis of democracy, that citizens are allowed to go [in the streets] whenever they want, wherever they want.With this law, this government is consciously breaking, destroying this fundamental right," Of course more and more there are all sorts of rules and restrictions on protests. If large enough numbers protest it may be difficult to enforce the new law. For more see this article.

May Day Protests in Canada

Several hundred public sector workers staged a demonstration outside Prime Minister Stephen Harper's office in Ottawa to protest the government austerity measures. They sang, chanted, and listened to speeches. There was no violence. Some demonstrators sported buttons that read "Stephen Harper hates me!" Union officials reported that a group of students were prevented from crossing into Ontario to join in the protest. Ottawa is just across the river from Hull Quebec. I really do not understand how the students would be prevented from joining the protest.

In Toronto there was a rally at a city square around 11 AM but the crowd was not large. However, they were entertained by a street theater group. The CBC reported that police outnumbered protesters. The protest group also plans a re-occupation event this evening which will last for a day.

There were also protests in Winnipeg Manitoba, Halifax Nova Scotia, Edmonton and Calgary Alberta and Vancouver B.C. and Windsor Ontario In Montreal Quebec a new conference of leaders of two student groups was disrupted by masked hecklers. The two student groups were presenting an alternative to the concessions offered by the Quebec government. A third more radical student group did not attend the news conference. There has been considerable conflict within the student protest movement. In recent protests the minority who engage in vandalism have been roundly booed by the majority of protesters.

A later May Day march resulted in smashed windows and conflict with police. The police in turn used chemical irritants, rubber bullets, billy clubs , and tear gas in response. Dozens of arrests were made. For more detail see this article from Global News.

Students continue tuition hike protests in Montreal (April 27)

In spite of the government offering concessions students were out again last night in Montreal protesting with chants that there was no offer just an insult. The students are demanding a freeze at the least whereas the government is not granting that.

The student protests have actually helped the popularity of the unpopular premier Jean Charest. His position on hiking tuition is supported by about 60 per cent of the populace. Even a number of students want the protests to stop and oppose them. There is however a long tradition of student strikes in Quebec. In 1968 strikes managed to achieve a tuition freeze that has only recently been breached.

Among the government concessions is to spread the tuition increase of $ 1,625 over 7 years rather than five. They would also put more funds into bursaries and loans. The Quebec fees at present are the lowest in Canada. Some U.S. students attend McGill because even though they pay about 15,000 per year about 8 times what a Quebec student pays it is still cheaper than an Ivy League college but with comparable quality of education. Protests obviously depend upon local policies. No doubt in Finland where university education is free students would protest if any fees were introduced. In the U.S.students have faced escalating fees and increased debt loads for years but the increases just keep on.

Students protest almost every day in Montreal often tying up traffic. The premier has refused to meet with protest leaders but he is now negotiating in the press obviously.

Student leaders will meet with their members this weekend and votes will be taken to see if there is support for the government offer. Almost 170,000 students have been out of class for months. For more see this article.

Montreal drug raid linked to Mafia ring

Police in Quebec raided places in Montreal, Laval, and also Longueuil in a drug bust on Thursday. The anti-gang squad raids claimed to have struck a cocaine ring linked to the Mafia. Eleven arrests were made.

The raids on 18 different locations yielded drugs, money, and a number of weapons. The investigation into the ring had begun last fall.

Charges of drug trafficking, conspiracy, and weapons offenses are expected to be laid today against those arrested. For more see this CBC article.

Montreal fee hike protests turn violent

Hundreds of students protested outside the Palais des Congres. The Quebec Liberal premier Jean Charest was speaking at a symposium on northern development.

Charest's keynote address was delayed when protesters accessed the building and confronted police guarding the meeting. There were injuries to two protesters and two officers and 10 arrests.

Protests have been ongoing for some time sometimes accompanied by violence. Ministers in the government have been threatened. Police used batons, chemical irritants to push students back but eventually resorted to tear gas and concussion grenades.

Demonstrations have been ongoing almost daily. Students have been boycotting classes for almost two months now. Over the next five years the government intends to raise fees by 1625 dollars. Fees in Quebec are at present the lowest in Canada. However, compared to some European countries such as Finland where university education is free they are still high. For more see this article.

Massive Montreal student protests once again over tuition hikes

Quebec students many in colorful costumes starting from several locations and taking several different routes wound through Montreal streets this afternoon. The protests are to go on until evening.

Today's protests (March 29) are just another of many almost daily protests some of which have involved clashes with police. According to the student group organizing the protest over 300,000 students are now on strike protesting against projected fee hikes to be imposed by the Quebec Liberal provincial government. The students are striking in spite of the fact that Quebec tuition fees are the lowest in Canada at present. The student organizations favor free tuition as is still prevalent in some European countries.

The protesters have blocked access to Montreal's main courthouse for some time, clogged a number of boulevards and apparently vandalized some police cars. There are plans to block downtown roadways. This is not likely to produce sympathy for their cause from motorists.

Most of the protesters were masked. This fits in with the theme picked by organizers of the Charivari an old folk tradition. It included noisemaking and mockery. No doubt the masks make it difficult for police to identify protesters as well!

Montreal police released a map of the four different routes planned by demonstrators. The police also issued a set of rules "for a successful demonstration". Protesters were urged to leave an area if and when the police declared the demonstration illegal. Demonstrators have been known to ignore such warnings! For more see this CBC article.

Workers protest job losses at Quebec legislature

Aveos an aircraft maintenance and repair company is liquidating the company with the loss of 1800 jobs in Montreal alone. There are branches in Vancouver and Winnipeg as well.

Workers from the Montreal plant are massing at Quebec province's national assembly in Quebec city. They are requesting the government to take legal action to save their jobs.

A union representative said:."It's a mood of desolation," "It's like having another big slap in the face…. Yesterday we had the bad news that Aveos is finally bankrupt, and it's gonna be liquidated. So what does it say to us? It says everybody is out of a job. But you know, we're talking about 1,800 jobs in Quebec, and around 3,000 for the rest of the country.""

The union blames Air Canada for the situation. Originally Aveos was a company that was part of Air Canada itself. Some time after being privatized Air Canada hived off its maintenance to the new company Aveos with many former workers employed there. No doubt to save money. Now it seems that Air Canada is finding even cheaper places to have maintenance done such as China. As a result the company is cutting Aveos out of its maintenance program which was 90 per cent of Aveos work.

Air Canada offered 15 million to keep the company going according to company officials. Aveos too blamed Air Canada for its troubles. A company statement said:"Since the beginning of the year, [Aveos's] principal customer reduced, deferred and cancelled maintenance work, which resulted in approximately $16 million in lost revenue in less than two months,""While Aveos remained ready, willing and able to perform such work, such work did not materialize. This was a devastating blow to Aveos." No doubt Air Canada hoped to switch over to cheaper maintenance operators for some time but did not expect this sudden public relations disaster to be added to its labor problems.

Pilots for Air Canada have been calling in sick. The company planned to lock the pilots out but the government stepped in and now has back to work legislation ready. Cargo handlers and ground crews were also set to strike. No sign of any end to the turbulence. For more see this article.

Air Canada suffers more turbulence as maintenance company crashes

About two hundred workers from the maintenance company Aveos have closed off access to the head office of Air Canada in Montreal near the Trudeau Airport. The company shut down suddenly without notice to workers. The company performed maintenance work for Air Canada.

Air Canada was about to lock out pilots and also faced a strike by ground crews when the government intervened. In protest pilots have been calling in sick causing some flight delays over the weekend.

On Sunday the Aveos locked out at least 2,400 staff at plants in Vancouver, Winnipeg, and the largest in Montreal. In Montreal about 200 workers blocked a road into Air Canada offices. They held signs calling on the government to intervene. They prevented Air Canada workers from entering the offices. The company has about 1800 affected staff in Montreal plus 350 in Winnipeg and 250 in Vancouver. All were locked out.

Originally Air Canada maintenance was carried out by a division of the company itself Air Canada Technical Services. As often happens to save money the company formed an independent company in 2007 and renamed Aveos the next year. They had a contract for maintenance up to 2014. Air Canada was the firms largest customer.

As is common these days, Air Canada has been contracting out even further afield and no doubt at cheaper rates. Air Canada is now sub-contracting out maintenance of landing gear and engines to other companies including Chinese providers. No doubt this has made Aveo unprofitable. For more see this CBC article, and also here.

Montreal protest turns violent 200 arrested

The anti-police brutality march is an annual event in Montreal and by tradition it is raucous. The organizers did not provide police with a map of the route of the march as many protest organizers do.

The event provides good grist for the media mills but does little to help the cause of many who have good grounds for complaining about police behavior in particular the many students who have been regularly protesting about student fee hikes.

Some protesters threw objects at police, looted some stores, and smashed two police cars. I have included a video of one of the cars being wrecked. Quite a few of the participants have their faces clearly visible. They may be arrested and charged I expect. The video headline talks of the Black Bloc anarchist group. As I understand it members of that group would cover themselves up to avoid being identified.

There was a crowd of about 1000 people and about 200 people were arrested. Ten officers were injured. The article does not say how many if any protesters were injured. The arrest numbers are down slightly from last year when 258 were taken into custody.

In an unusual move police actually invited media beforehand to headquarters to explain what their tactics would be to deal with the demonstration. Usually police are secretive about such matters in order not to alert protesters as to what is up.

The violent tactics and injured police officers will no doubt call more attention to protester violence than to police brutality. For more see this article.

Students in Montreal protesting tuition hikes briefly close down bridge

Students in Montreal Quebec are protesting tuition hikes in post-secondary institutions in the province. The students briefly shut down Jacques Cartier Bridge before riot police dispersed them with some students being pepper sprayed. Police feared a massive traffic jam during rush hour.


The main protest consisted of up to 200,000 students. The large group marched through the downtown area with police keeping their distance. A smaller group blocked the bridge. Montreal police spokesman Daniel Fortier said:"(Protesters) blocked the bridge in both directions so the bridge wasn't open at all, so the riot team just dispersed the people,"

Organizer of the rally plan to protest in Quebec City the provincial capital next week at the national assembly. The provincial government plans to almost double fees over five years from the current in province rate of $2,200 to $3,800.

Students claim the increase will limit access to education which they hold should be a right. In some European countries such as Finland there are no fees for post-secondary education for resident students. However in Canada and no doubt in North America even the increased fees may seem like a bargain.

Protest spokesperson Gabriel Nadeau-Dubois said:"Increasing tuition fees means rejecting thousands of people from the universities of Quebec - persons who have the talent to study but may not be able to pay," "We think education is a right, we think everyone should go to university if they have the talent to do it and increasing tuition fees that fast is totally blocking that right." However, as in most of North America Quebec intends to increase student costs and ensure that students remain indebted after graduation.

Perhaps next government will discover that secondary education is expensive and perhaps the cost should also be placed on those who use the system! For more see this article.