During the supper break at the third consecutive day of negotiations between the provincial government and student leaders, FEUQ President Martine Desjardins revealed that talks had hit a wall.
Despite protests that have continued for over 100 days, Desjardins said that government negotiators had yet to even look at a counter proposal put forward by students on Tuesday. On their way into Wednesday's talks, student leaders sang a happy note as the government revealed that a controversial 82 per cent tuition increase was on the table for the first time.
"We are disappointed," said Desjardins of the government's lack of progress. With the latest concession from the Charest Liberals calling for a smaller hike of $1,533 over seven years, student leaders have said that they would not be content with a slight reduction.
"It is clear that there is a possible deal with what we put on the table," Leo Bureau-Blouin, president of the college students' association, said he remained "optimistic" that a deal can be reached. Bureau-Blouin's term ends on Friday.
Wednesday's announcement was a disappointment after student representatives coming out of the second day of meetings said the talks had gone very well.
Gabriel Nadeau-Dubois of CLASSE said he expected "to evaluate the different scenarios and restart the negotiations during the day in the hope of presenting an offer to our members."
Addressing the proposed tuition fee increase appears to be the key to hammering out an elusive deal to end the four-month dispute.
An offer to cut the proposed tuition fee increase by $35 was dismissed unanimously in talks Tuesday night, said two of the heads of students groups involved in the talks.
The government had already lowered the yearly increase, by offering to spread it out over seven years for an annual jump of $254, a move previously rejected by students.
Education Minister Michelle Courchesne's new proposal would have reduced the yearly hike to $219 over seven years.
The original increase, which kicked off the dispute in February, was for $325 a year over five years -- a move that would bring annual fees to about $3,800 in 2017.
"It was judged insufficient by the student organizations around the table," said Nadeau-Dubois of the lower rate. "We submitted a counter-proposal which we won't go into right now."
Earlier on Wednesday, Finance Minister Raymond Bachand refused to call the government's bending on tuition a retreat. According to Bachand, who some believe could lead the Liberals into the next election, any acceptable new offer must have zero impact on the province's taxpayers.
While negotiators were inside there was a very noisy protest outside. Protesters came with their pots and pans and several started banging them against the doors of the building. The volume got louder as they saw the students leaders emerge from the building.
With files from The Canadian Press.
