Quebec’s minister of education steps down

Line Beauchamp, Quebec’s often-vilified Liberal education minister and deputy premier, announced this afternoon that she has resigned her seat in Quebec’s National Assembly. Beauchamp spent many months addressing widespread opposition to a nearly $2,000 tuition rise that will be implemented in Quebec over the next several years. She said today that she could not reach a compromise with the student groups that have protested for 14 weeks, shutting down classes at many universities and colleges and regularly crippling movement in downtown Montreal. An agreement in principle reached last weekend was roundly rejected by local student associations. Premier Jean Charest said that he wanted Beauchamp to stay, but he will appoint someone this afternoon. Of the tuition rise, he said "we believe in this policy and this policy is going ahead."