About 600 demonstrators took to the streets of downtown Montreal Saturday afternoon to denounce cuts to education as part of the provincial Liberal government's budget-cutting austerity program.
The rally was high-spirited but a shadow of the student protests that took place in 2012.
Quebec Solidaire MNA Amir Khadir said that the opposition to the provincial policies is only starting to grow.
“It takes time. It’s the beginning of a process. In 2012 there was a specific issue at stake at the time, regarding the hike in student fees that brought a lot of people in in a shorter time. Now we’re in the midst of a broader issue of how the government balances its budget by cutting services rather than by getting the richest among us to make the small contributions,” he told CTV Montreal.
Another demonstrator named Daniel said that the cuts to education are significant and need to be opposed.
“Students have to protest and call on their government to say that education is a priority even more now than ever. The more austerity measures affect families, students and workers, the more they’re being mobilized,” he said.
