Thousand's Gather to Protest the Quebec Government's New Budget

Picture from the Montreal Gazette

Une Question de Choix - a choice of question - was the theme of the protest that took place Saturday March twelfth in Montreal. Thousands of people came together to rally against the upcoming release of the Quebec Government’s budget.

The demonstration commenced on Peel and Bonaventure in front of Place du Canada. People of all ages and groups gathered to pump each other up before the march. Balloons, noisemakers, painted faces, French folk music, and a sea of endless banners set the scene of the protest. Charest degage - go away Charest - was spray painted on a statue in the middle of the square. The march made its way down St Catherine’s Street and ended in front of a stage on McGill and De Maisonneuve.

The tuition hike will be after a freeze that was set in the mid nineties. The freeze has allowed Quebec to have the lowest tuition in Canada. As well as students with the lowest debt upon graduating. The Concordia Student Union says the most reported reason for not attending university is financial. The CSU also reports that approximately six thousand students are expected to drop out because of tuition fee increases.

Signs reading “fight for your right for education” and “your budget is killing our future” were held by students at the protest. The Charest government says tuition hikes are necessary as the freeze has gone on long enough. The government says students will be granted a better education if more money is put in. The demonstration allowed students to make their presence and protest against the government’s budget known.

Police kept a close watch on the demonstration. Officers were present on foot, bicycle, horse, in vehicles, and hovering overhead in helicopter. A group of protesters held a red banner the size of a small classroom reading “when injustice becomes law, resistance is our duty” for the helicopter above. The Quebec Government will be releasing their budget to the public on March seventeenth.