Quebec deal reached

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Jacques Boissinot / The Canadian Press Demonstrators pose with a police officer in riot gear after a tentative agreement with students in Victoriaville, Que., Saturday. (CP)

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Jacques Boissinot / THE CANADIAN PRESS Officers confront protesters during a student demonstration in Victoriaville, Que., Friday. (CP)

VICTORIAVILLE, Que. -- After a bitter three-month battle, there was hope Saturday of a breakthrough in Quebec's tuition crisis, with news of a tentative agreement reached between the provincial government and student leaders.

The deal, made public late Saturday evening, would include a overall freeze on what students pay for the next six months, giving both sides some breathing room while negotiations continue.

It was unclear whether the deal, hammered out after a 24-hour negotiating session that ended Saturday afternoon, would end months of unrest.

In Quebec City, student leaders were referring to the arrangement as a government "offer," while the government was using stronger language.

Education Minister Line Beauchamp called the deal "an agreement in principle."

Premier Jean Charest was more cautious, but nonetheless said he was pleased by the development.

"Everyone is relieved that at least we're seeing progress," he told reporters.

"The goal is to have students return to class, (so that we can) create room for discussion."

The temporary freeze until December 2012 amounts to a major concession from the Charest government, which originally wanted to raise tuition by $1,625 over five years.

It would also turn the debate over tuition levels into a key election issue. Charest has to call an election by 2013, and opinion polls show most Quebecers side with his government in the dispute.

In addition, the deal would include establishing a committee to better manage university finances, a longstanding grievance amongst student groups. Any savings would be used to claw back student fees.

The government's loan and bursaries program was also strengthened in the offer, so that families earning less that $60,000 would be eligible for a scholarship while those earning less than $100,000 would be eligible for a loan.

While the Charest and Beauchamp expressed confidence, the conflict isn't over yet.

Details of the agreement were only set to be announced publicly once student leaders had a chance to share them with members beginning late Saturday.

Students planned to vote on the arrangement over the coming days.

Until then, the student strikes were still on. About a third of students across the province still aren't going to class.

"This is not the end (of the conflict) - but it's the beginning of the end," said Martine Desjardins, one of the three main student representatives.

That glimmer of light came after one of the darkest days of the conflict.

A protester lost use of an eye after he was injured in a savage riot in Quebec that broke out Friday during a protest over tuition increases, health officials said.

The demonstrator was one of two young men admitted to hospital with serious injuries following the violent confrontation outside a Quebec Liberal Party convention in Victoriaville.

The other man was admitted with fractures to his face and skull, along with a cerebral contusion.

In all, nine people were taken to hospital, including three police officers. One officer had been kicked, punched and beaten with a stick in scenes captured by television cameras.

Quebec provincial police made 109 arrests in connection with the riot -- many of them after pulling over school buses that were returning late Friday to Montreal.

The Charest Liberals had moved their convention from Montreal to Victoriaville, a normally sleepy agricultural community, to get away from the protests rocking Quebec.

But after Friday's violent events, there were more demonstrations including a peaceful one Saturday.

Outside the convention centre where Liberals were gathered, not everyone was immediately aware of the deal in Quebec City. And not everyone cared. Among those joining the students were groups against shale gas drilling, wind turbines, and those promoting Quebec independence.

-- The Canadian Press

Republished from the Winnipeg Free Press print edition May 6, 2012 A3