LAVAL - Student protesters continued to show their dissatisfaction over tuition hikes Sunday, with Jean Charest firmly in their crosshairs.

The Quebec premier spent Sunday morning giving a speech at a brunch at the Palace Convention centre in Laval with five local MNAs.

On Le Corbusier Blvd. nearby, a march was organized by members of the l'Association générale des étudiants du Collège Montmorency, which represents more than 5,800 students that have walked out of classes since March 14.

About 100 people showed up to protest, including several families, said AGEM spokesperson Alexandre St-Onge Perron, who added that protesters will continue to show up wherever Charest and his deputies are found.

As many as 4,000 student demonstrators and their supporters also cycled around Montreal Sunday in the Tour de l'Ile en Rouge, to show their disapproval over the Quebec government's plan to hike tuition fees to $3,800 per year, nearly double its current rate.

Meantime, requests for a ban on picketing in front of educational institutions are being considered. An injunction request was temporarily accepted for Alma College on Friday, and another for the Universite Laval will be heard Monday.

On Friday, a judge rejected a motion by a Universite Laval law student who fought to attend classes without being stopped by protesting students.

The Quebec Federation of College Students said it is seeking various legal opinions on the matter. FECQ President Leo Bureau-Blouin said he wishes the court had not become involved in the conflict, because walkouts are a fundamental right.

The FECQ also said it took the weekend to finalize a strategy to put forth during general elections that are expected to be announced in the coming weeks.

Ten Liberal ridings, which were elected by a narrow majority, will be targeted by the students.

Bureau-Blouin said he hopes to sit down with the government to discuss options.

"We think that affordable education is possible, but we're also open to some propositions that we didn't think about," he said.

While students are hopeful that the government will hear them out soon enough, Charest repeated on Sunday that he has no intention to back down.

"Now's the time to make a decision and those who believe in the future of Quebec and in politics should have the courage to make these decisions," he said.

With a report from La Presse Canadienne