QC protesters begin week of anti-austerity demonstrations

Students, teachers, and activists gathered in Montreal on Sunday to kick off a week of protests against provincial funding cuts to education and other austerity measures. More than 40 anti-austerity events are expected to be held across the province this week. "We're fed up, everywhere," said Véronique Laflamme, with the Coalition opposé à la tarification et à la privatisation des services publics. "[The government] has recently cut important cultural programs, high school programs, housing aid and environmental services, in culture, in CEGEP and in university, in health ... It all hurts." Laflamme suggested that the government should re-establish capital gains taxes on financial institutions and review its corporate tax rates as an alternative approach to solving QC's budget crunch. Kindergarten teacher Lucie Ste-Marie said that cuts to education programs in areas such as nursing, psychology, ergotherapy, orthophony, and orthopedagogy are increasing the pressure placed on teachers and parents to find proper care for children. Montreal Gazette