The Sunday Magazine

The Quebec student protests - one year later

The beat of helicopter propellers, the wail of sirens and the banging of pots and pans -- familiar sounds during Montreal nights just over a year ago. In the spring of 2012, tens of thousands of young people marched in the streets....
The beat of helicopter propellers, the wail of sirens and the banging of pots and pans -- familiar sounds during Montreal nights just over a year ago. In the spring of 2012, tens of thousands of young people marched in the streets.
As the summer wore on, they were joined by people of all ages and professions, banging wooden spoons on pots as they marched up and down the streets of Montreal. Clashes between police and students became regular news.

Quebec Premier Jean Charest brought in a special law, to bring order back to the city -- but the protests only grew. It began with a fight against tuition hikes, but it became much more. For some it was the beginning of a revolution; others felt their city was being held hostage.

One year later, what has changed?

Guest-host Francine Pelletier talks with Martine Desjardins, former president of the FÉUQ - Féderation Étudiante Universitaire du Québec, the union that represents university students; Geoffrey Kelley, Liberal MNA for the Jacques-Cartier riding on the West Island of Montreal; and Daniel Weinstock, professor at the Faculty of Law at McGill University, director of McGill's Institute for Health and Social Policy, and a member of The Centre for the Study of Democratic Citizenship.