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Quebec students call for paid internships to mark anniversary of ‘Maple Spring’

Several hundred students took to the streets of Montreal today, marking a decade since their peers did the same during the so-called “Maple Spring” of 2012.

It was one of several demonstrations planned across the province this week until Friday.

As was the case in 2012, students are demanding free post-secondary education, but they are also seeking to ensure internships are paid.

The demonstration in Montreal’s downtown core was festive amid good weather.

In addition to education-related demands, students also condemned the province’s secularism law, known as Bill 21, and police brutality.

The movement this year does not involve all students, but includes about 82,000 students at both the junior college and university level.

In 2012, the student protests spanned several months, with the main issue the Liberal government’s plan to nearly double university tuition fees over five years to $3,800 per year.

Reacting angrily, tens of thousands of students voted to strike and walked out of their classes, donning red felt squares that came to symbolize the movement.