As the 14th week of the students’ protest over proposed tuition hikes began yesterday, Education Minister Line Beauchamp announced she was making “the ultimate compromise” by resigning. That same day, Treasury Board President Michelle Courchesne was sworn in as Quebec’s new education minister and deputy premier.
Courchesne will face the same demand for a freeze on Quebec’s tuition fees—already low by Canadian standards. Beauchamp, in parting, expressed the hope that her resignation would be like “an electric shock” that will reanimate the discussion process between the government and striking students.