2005 Quebec student protests
2005 Quebec student protests | |
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Date | February 24, 2005 – April 14, 2005 |
Location | Quebec, Canada |
Methods |
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The 2005 Quebec student protests were a series of student strikes and
Background
During the
Coalitions representing most CEGEPs and universities started to negotiate with the government. Talks and protests, in the form of marches, went on for over a year. Students from most CEGEPs and universities took the streets on April 14, 2004 (the first anniversary of the Charest government's election) and November 10, 2004.
Student strike
During their January 29–30, 2005 congress, the
The strike was initiated on February 21, by a member of the CASSÉÉ, the
The
On March 16, 2005 students from traditionally more moderate institutions like
The
Agreement
On April 2, the student federations and the government reached an agreement that was still left to be voted on by the individual student associations during the week. This agreement consists of a CAN $70M refunding for 2005–2006 and a return of the $103M for the next 4 years, totaling $482M. This money comes from 3 levels: the millennium grant foundation, the federal government and the provincial government.
The FEUQ officially endorsed the agreement, while the FECQ maintained a neutral position, saying it was "interesting enough" to be voted on by the individual members' unions. The CASSÉÉ rejected it. Over the next week, the movement mostly ended, with over two thirds of the students voting for a return to class during the week. However, at least 20 unions representing over 100,000 students rejected the offer and by April 11, there were still approximately 20,000 students boycotting class. During the following 2 weeks, most associations ended or suspended the boycott to allow the students to complete their semester.
Symbol
The symbol of support for the student strike was a small square of red cloth worn upon clothing as a kind of ribbon. The Parti Québécois MNAs, then in opposition, wore the red square to demonstrate their support for the striking students.
On March 30, a group of students hoisted the symbol opposed to student poverty on Mount Royal Cross. It took a full day before authorities were able to remove it. On its lower panel, it was written: "Arrêtons de sacrifier nos enfants", which means: "Let's stop sacrificing our children."
See also
- 1996 Quebec student protests
- 2012 Quebec student protests
- Students' union
- Student protest
- 2012 Quebec general election
References
- ^ "Tous les étudiants appelés à se joindre à la grève". Archived from the original on 2012-07-13. Retrieved 2012-06-30.