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The National Assembly is debating a new bill introduced by the Liberals in an effort to end the tuition fee strikes.

According to the Montreal Gazette, Bill 78 imposes heavy fines to student groups and labour federations who prevent a student from attending class. The fines range from one thousand to one-hundred and twenty-five thousand dollars.

The Bill states that fourteen CEGEPs and eleven universities will have their winter semester suspended unless the strike ends before it becomes law. Classes will resume on August seventeenth at the latest and August first at the earliest. It also states that protestors who plan a march must give the planned route, time, duration, venue and their means of transportation to the police eight hours in advance.

The institutions affected by this bill have until June first to plan their August schedules while students have until June fifteenth to announce of they plan to return.

Bill 78 is expected to become law by Friday evening at the earliest.

Flickr Photo by: Jezz

A student group called the Force Étudiante Critique is planning a demonstration Monday morning at 11:30 a.m. at the Montreal courthouse.

They are demonstrating to protest against the four arrests related to last Thursday’s metro smoke attack bombings, according to CTV.

Little is known about this student group and their members are not made public.

The group issued searing attacks on journalists but said it does not plan on physically attacking journalists.

François-Vivier Gagnon, Geneviève Vaillancourt, Vanessa L'écuyer and Roxanne Bélisle are charged with committing a hoax regarding terrorist activities, conspiracy and mischief over $5,000.

The terrorist-hoax charge could land them five years in prison.

The four accused are expected to make their pleas Monday before a judge at the Montreal courthouse.

A Montreal lawyer said he thought the terrorist hoax charge might not be strong enough because in this case, they might even have committed an actual terrorist attack.

It was reported that the main student associations were conducting telephone negotiations with the Education Minister, and any breakthrough will be announced.

The group is reported to be a more radical splinter-group of the CLASSE.

CLASSE leader Gabriel Nadeau-Dubois said his members had nothing to do with the bombings, and that they also have a sense that their semester will not be saved.

The green faction, a group of students opposed to the student protests, rallied in Montreal on Saturday for a return to class.

The Surete de Quebec stated on Thursday that their response to the riot in Victoriaville was appropriate.

According to the Montreal Gazette, SQ spokesperson Jean Finet described the actions as appropriate, proportional, disciplined and professional on Thursday.

Finet spoke to the media with images of suspects police say were mostly responsible for the riot shown behind him and the weapons they used in front of him.

This is in accordance with a pathologist’s report that said two of the three most seriously injured protestors were not hurt by plastic bullets fired by the SQ.

Those injuries were a woman who suffered a shattered jaw and 20year Maxence Valade who lost an eye.

The person injured Alexandre Allard which SQ admits was caused by a plastic bullet suffered a blow to the head. The investigation continues and police will review amateur video leading up to Allard’s injury.

Flickr Photo by: steelerdan

It’s the beginning of the end for the Quebec tuition fight.

Leaders of Quebec student associations and education minister Line Beauchamp have come to a tentative agreement after round-the-clock closed-door negotiations.

According to the CBC, under the new deal students will get a temporary tuition freeze for the fall semester.

A committee will look into the financial management of universities with a report due in December.

The government will go ahead with its planned tuition hike over seven years but students will see fees lower in other places. This includes a committee that will look for savings in university budgets with the aim to reduce non-tuition fees.

The announcement follows violent protests in Victoriaville that saw 106 arrests with 3 officers injured.

Six protesters also ended up in hospital including a 21 year-old who lost an eye and suffered life-threating head wounds.

Students will have a chance to vote on the deal in the next few days.

Flickr photo: Robin Dumont