A provincial commission to look into the student protests in the Canadian province of Quebec last year faced sceptical questioning as it updated journalists Friday (August 30) on the progress of its inquiry.
Serge Menard, a lawyer and former Quebec cabinet minister, was appointed this past spring to chair the commission along with lawyer Bernard Grenier, and former union leader Claudette Carbonneau to report on the student protests and their impact.
The printemps d’érable (Maple Spring) started because of student resistance to university tuition hikes planned by the Liberal government of Premier Jean Charest. The protests featured mass marches, particularly in the city of Montreal. When the government reacted with tough public security laws, students and some of the population in general then protested in the streets banging pots and pans.
Last autumn’s defeat of the Charest Liberals, and the election of the sovereignist Parti Québécois was partly blamed on the student protests and its repercussions.
The commission was set up this past spring by the Parti Québecois government with the following mandate:
- Analyze the circumstances of the demonstrations and of the acts of civil disobedience that occurred in Québec in spring 2012
- Determine the factors behind the deterioration of the social climate and assess the public impact of these events
- Produce findings based on verifiable facts
- Draft recommendations for the Minister of Public Security by December 20, 2013
In the press briefing Friday, Menard emphasized the cooperation he was getting from police and from student groups. However, that’s been questioned by a number of journalists and others. It appears there’s resistance both from police officers and from student leaders. And some Liberal provincial politicians are calling the commission a waste of money.
Menard denied that the commission is having a hard time getting witnesses, but did admit it was the summer.
The commission plans to hold its first public hearings on September 23. Two others are planned for October 21 and November 18.
More information:
Commission mandate – here
Commission statement on August 30 (in French) – here
Le Devoir – La commission sur le printemps 2012 nie avoir des difficultés – here
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