It irks me when I hear people speak of distinct society and how Quebec is so different from the "Rest of Canada" (ROC). The media tries to play on it and so do the politicians. I guess that it's easier to try to sell the idea of sovereignty to someone if you first convince them that you have nothing in common.
Contrary to what is claimed repeatedly in the mainstream press, students are not saying that they should not pay their "fair share" for education and let the province sink into debt. In the context of the strike, where one stands on the above public financing options is certainly important, but it is ultimately of secondary significance.
During this past Thursday's protests about tuition fees, Montreal's students found another foe worthy of their vociferous appeals to the masses: student scabs, who they claimed did not have the right to cross picket lines and go to classes. The protesters may indeed have 99 legitimate problems, but just to be clear, a scab isn't one.
Around two hundred thousand Quebec students were out in the streets of Montreal protesting tuition hikes Thursday. Their claims are unfounded, or at the very least misguided -- but one thing I must concede is how this movement is getting Quebeckers out of their bubble of indifference relating to public affairs.