The narrow election of a new government in Quebec on Tuesday signals a possible turning point in the student protests that have disrupted the province and its colleges and universities for eight months. The Parti Québécois, which is set to take power, has pledged to abolish or reduce the tuition increase of $254 a year that spurred thousands of students to take to the streets.
The issue of a tuition rise is not yet resolved, as the new premier, Pauline Marois, will have to forge compromises with political opponents to enact any part of her separatist party’s agenda. The Parti Québécois fell several seats short of a majority, and so it must cooperate informally with opposition parties to pass legislation.
On Wednesday, the day after the election, Marois said she intended to use a cabinet decree to cancel the tuition increase. She did not, however, mention her election-campaign proposal to index the fees to the cost of living.