The student protests shut down Quebec higher education, gained international attention and shook that province's politics. By all accounts, the democratic protests were highly successful at gaining attention.There's only one catch: the protests were anything but democratic. Indeed, it would have been illegal for any labour union in the country to conduct itself the way the student union leadership did. The next Quebec government needs to democratize the student associations. If they want the right to strike like regular labour unions, shouldn't they be held to the same basic democratic standards?
On Wednesday, Quebec's education minister resigned claiming she was no longer helping to solve the problems. Her admission is honest, introspective and poignant, but above all, it is something an adult would do. Conversely, as the protests continue, violence and vandalism has become increasingly commonplace as protesters become ever more uncompromising and antagonistic.