Quebec students rally in solidarity with counterparts in France over school underfunding, cost of living

Several of Quebec's student associations are gathered in solidarity with the recent protest movement in France. Among the issues that they are highlighting are the educational conditions and more financial aid given the rising cost of living. We have some of the same things here in Quebec. We have institutions that are crumbling because of a lack of sufficient funds to do some repairs. In France, there's been weeks of unrest as student-led protests calling for better conditions for learning have led to widespread school disruptions, arrests and violence. On Saturday, hundreds of arrests were made. A tourism office in the city of Lyon was set on fire and police and protesters clashed. One student from France studying in Montreal says it was important to show support for their compatriots back home. The systemic problem is that there's not enough money to put into the university and the high school. We see the situation in high school. The schools are not good enough to study in a good climate. Quebec student organizations have demands for the Parti Quebecois government. They are calling for all internships to be paid, more measures to deal with student food insecurity and tougher rent control measures. They also want more financial aid programs for students to continue their education. We've seen a lot of issues. For example, we've seen that there's 40% of students right now in Quebec that have faced food insecurity. For us, it's really alarming. Student protesters here say they want to see if the new Quebec government will meet their demands and make life better for students here in Quebec. They say if things do not change, they will continue to protest just like their counterparts in France have been doing for the past few weeks.