More than 165,000 students in Quebec, Canada have been on strike for more than nine weeks in response to a Provincial government plan that would raise university tuition rates, some of the lowest in the country, by 75 percent over the next five years. The student movement has since grown in popularity, with a March 22 demonstration drawing nearly 300,000 supporters.

This past Sunday evening, Education Minister Line Beauchamp announced that she was willing to sit down with a major student federation to discuss the creation of an independent, permanent committee for "the sound management" of post-secondary institutions. The Quebec government had already said it was willing to reform the loans and bursaries program. However, student leaders said the offer was not enough and the boycotts will continue until the government rescinds its decision to raise tuition by $1,625, or 75 percent, over the next five years.