MONTREAL – The bitter stalemate between the Quebec government and the province’s student federations hardened on amid further mutual recriminations Thursday.
One prominent cabinet minister accused a student leader of inciting violence because of his ambiguous stance on the vandalism and mayhem that have marred many protests.
Student leaders responded by levelling accusations of intransigence in the increasingly acrimonious debate over planned tuition hikes.
The very idea of a negotiated settlement remains moot for now.
Education Minister Line Beauchamp rejected further talks with the students because of their demand that two members from a more radical group be involved.
Beauchamp has said there would be no negotiations with members of a student federation known as the C.L.A.S.S.E.
The government believes the group has not done enough to condemn the violence over the past two months.
Talks between the two sides aimed at settling their bitter tuition dispute ended Wednesday when the C.L.A.S.S.E. was kicked out for not respecting a truce on protests.
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That prompted the other student groups to walk out and, with negotiations suspended, protesters instantly spilled out into the streets with one Montreal demonstration degenerating into window-smashing, rock-tossing vandalism late Wednesday.
One of those student federations said Thursday the talks would resume Friday with two representatives of the C.L.A.S.S.E. replacing its own members.
Not so quick, was the reply from a spokeswoman for Beauchamp as she shot down that potential scenario.
”You can’t have something indirectly if you’re not getting it directly,” said Helene Sauvageau.
The most recent backdrop to the standoff was a protest in Montreal on Wednesday night that degenerated into chaos, including shattered windows and vandalized cars.
Some protesters fired paintballs at police and media, while authorities responded by pepper-spraying protesters in their path.
The end result: 85 arrests and three injured police officers.
On Thursday, several hundred students staged a noisy – but peaceful – protest outside Beauchamp’s Montreal offices.
Manon Perron, a spokeswoman for one of Quebec’s main labour federations, urged the Charest government to give negotiations with the students a chance.
“They (the government) are just putting oil on the fire,” Perron said.
Perron also said too much focus has been placed on the mayhem that has plagued many of the demonstrations.
“It’s too bad people are emphasizing the violence because taking to the streets is democracy and people want to voice their political position.”
Perron said Quebec students are fighting for future generations – and that people outside the province are supporting their fight.
The Liberal government wants to hike tuition by $325 a year for the next five years. That would mean annual tuition fees of about $3,800, which would still be among the lowest in Canada.
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