Representatives of the Syndicat de la Fonction Publique du Quebec, Solidarite Populaire Quebec and the Collective for a Law to Eliminate Poverty also attended the meeting. Today we met with the premier to debate the fact that economic growth and riches rule our society. At the meeting, Bouchard pledged to meet with members of the collective in the weeks ahead to further discuss the manifesto presented at yesterday's meeting. Demonstrators met Laviolette's summation of the meeting with cheers before breaking into groups to drink, chat and dance to fiddle and accordion music. It'll take more than a meeting with Mr. Bouchard to change things.
Poverty is everyone's responsibility.
I didn't grow up poor, exactly, but it depends who you compare yourself to. At the Westmount demonstration broken up by police, Andre Durocher, chief of communications for the MUC force, said protesters were aggressive and police had no choice but to arrest them. They were really aggressive toward our officers, and it's illegal when people start spray-painting graffiti. He said officers seized three cans of paint and a variety of pocket knives from the group. The 100 people will all be charged with mischief and illegal assembly, and one person will be charged with assault after he attacked a police officer on a motorcycle.