Quebec students file class action over strikes

MONTREAL – A class-action lawsuit is being organized by young Quebecers frustrated because they say they were hurt by the province’s student strikes.

The motion to sue 25 universities and junior colleges, as well as the Quebec government, is being filed in Montreal.

The plaintiffs say not enough was done to let them have access to their classrooms and complete their courses.

One says she will get her nursing diploma six months late, which will cost her financially.

The group’s lawyer is not setting a figure on the amount requested, saying the financial impact varies from one person to the next.

The Charest government’s Bill 78 was designed to force classrooms to be reopened and, in most cases, classes are carrying on.

But students in a small minority of faculties are continuing to strike, and the law is being ignored in some cases.

The issue was expected to dominate the current provincial election, but has played only a minor role.

The Coalition party’s Francois Legault pushed it closer to the forefront during a radio interview today, where he referred to some of the protesters as “thugs.”