Possible resolutions to Quebec's ongoing tuition dispute were up for discussion on Monday as student leaders and provincial politicians returned to the bargaining table.
Newly appointed Education Minister Michelle Courchesne sat down with representatives from the province's three main student associations in Quebec City.
After about eight hours, the two sides parted for the night and will resume negotiations at 1 p.m. Tuesday.
Previous talks broke off several weeks ago when students rejected a government offer involving a temporary tuition freeze. Since then, cities including Montreal have seen almost nightly protests, which have increased in both volume and size.
CLASSE spokesperson Gabriel Nadeau-Dubois, often characterized as the face of the student movement, said before the meeting he was wary of the government's intentions.
"Is this negotiating table only an operation of public relations?" he asked rhetorically in a Monday interview with CTV Montreal.
Though the relationship between protesters and Premier Jean Charest's Liberal government has frayed in recent weeks, some student leaders have suggested they are prepared to find a solution.
Leo Bureau-Blouin, head of CEGEP federation, has expressed a willingness to make concessions if the government does so as well. He said Monday that the current round of talks could be the government's last chance to end the months-long dispute.
The latest round of discussions comes just before Montreal enters its peak tourist season, adding a greater sense of urgency to the talks.
Martine Desjardins, another student representative, said there is less pressure on the student groups now than during previous talks. The students are no longer at risk of losing their semester amid a prolonged dispute, after the government suspended the semester until mid-August.
"What's changed? Now the pressure is on the government," Desjardins said as she headed into the meeting.
"All the students have their session suspended... and they can wait until autumn. But the government, they have pressure."
Desjardins said she and her group, the university students' federation, were prepared to spend all week in Quebec City.
Several city store owners have already reported a notable drop in business since the months-long rallies began. Reports also indicate that Montreal Mayor Gerald Tremblay and the province's finance minister took part in a closed-door meeting with the local chamber of commerce on Sunday evening.
Protests have also expanded in scope, with many looking past tuition and rallying against controversial legislation targeting demonstrations.
Bill 78 requires protesters to give police eight hours' notice for every demonstration, along with a full itinerary. Student reaction to the emergency law has varied, with some agreeing to comply and others vowing to disobey.
Thousands of protesters fanned out into the streets of Montreal once again on Sunday evening in a march that police declared illegal because its route was unannounced.
Still, officers allowed the protest to take place. Many of the demonstrators chose to bang on pots and pans rather than shout, mimicking a popular Latin American form of protest known as cacerolazo.
Protests continued Monday with marches across Quebec, including in Montreal, where lawyers dressed in their court gowns walked from the main courthouse to join the latest demonstration.
"It is one of the first times I've seen lawyers protest in public like this...and I've been practising for almost 30 years," Bruno Grenier said outside the court surrounded by about 250 people. Some were holding copies of the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms.
Grenier said he and his colleagues wanted to stand in solidarity with those who object to Bill 78, which they "find unjust and which is probably unconstitutional."
With a report from CTV Montreal's Maya Johnson
