Montreal

Quebec student strike leads Concordia to cancel class

Concordia University has decided to cancel classes on March 23 for students in faculties that voted to go on strike.

Students who voted to strike set to hit the streets March 23

Students demonstrate against austerity changes proposed by the provincial government Saturday, March 21, 2015 in Montreal. (Ryan Remiorz/Canadian Press)

Thousands of students at Quebec post-secondary institutions have voted to boycott class and go on strike beginning March 23. 

Concordia University has decided to cancel class for the day for students in the departments that voted to strike as a result.

Those departments are:

  • Faculty of Fine Arts – undergraduate students.
  • Department of Geography – only undergraduate courses beginning with GEOG (Department of Geography classes GEOL, ENVS, HENV and URBS will be held on March 23).
  • Department of Philosophy – undergraduate and graduate students.
  • Women Studies classes – undergraduate courses beginning with WSDB.
  • School of Community and Public Affairs – undergraduate courses beginning with SCPA.
Students demonstrate against austerity changes proposed by the provincial government Saturday, March 21, 2015 in Montreal. (Ryan Remiorz/Canadian Press)

A statement released by the university asked that striking students understand professors are still expected to teach and fulfill their responsibilities.

"This is a challenging time for Quebec society as a whole and we respect that members of our community will be voicing their opinions in a number of ways. We especially understand the concerns raised by students, and by other members of our community, regarding the funding cuts that have affected Concordia and the Quebec university network since 2012," the statement read.

Striking students are expected to gather at Phillips Square at 11:30 a.m. Monday, kicking off more than a week of daily protests.

Consult the list of student faculties and associations that have voted to strike here.​​

Pro-strike student groups have been calling for a rebirth of the 2012 Maple Spring in Quebec that saw thousands of people protest on a near-daily basis for months. 

The Quebec student movement has wide support from labour unions and those denouncing Quebec's austerity measures.