Students rallied under the slogan “Elections are a trap for fools”

Protesters criticized major political parties’ neglect of students’ political interests

NewsMoon Jinseok — Published October 4, 2026 3 minutes

Hundreds of students and activists gathered in La Fontaine Park on Oct. 3, under the slogan “Élection piège à cons, pour gagner grèvons” ("Elections are a trap for fools, to win, let's strike"), condemning Quebec's major political parties for the lack of representation of students’ interests.

The protest was organized two days before the general election by the Coalition de résistance pour l’unité étudiante syndicale (CRUES), a union organization of collège d'enseignement général et professionnel (CEGEP) and university student associations in Quebec.

“What we’re doing today [is] a protest to show everyone, not only the students, but everyone, that we need to open our eyes because it isn't going well right now,” Sophie Bouchard said, CRUES’ head of internal affairs.

She said CRUES organized this protest to encourage people to take action and to push the government to reflect the public’s needs, especially on austerity measures in education.

“The student financial aid, it's not giving enough money to students to survive,” Bouchard said.

A single person living in Montreal needs $41,585 a year after tax, roughly $3,465 per month, to live with dignity in 2026, according to L’Institut de recherche et d’informations socioéconomiques.

However, the Ministère de l’Enseignement supérieur recognizes a maximum of $1,416 per month in living expenses, including rent, food, transit and personal costs, for a full-time student who lives separately from their parents.

Tommy Ghantous, a music student at the CEGEP de Saint-Laurent, was a marching band member playing trombone among the protesters, with the words "musicien anti-austérité” (anti-austerity musician) written on his back.

“We've seen that austerity has made two of the [CEGEP de Saint-Laurent] campus buildings close,” Ghantous said.

​CEGEP de Saint-Laurent has closed two campus buildings since 2023 for safety reasons, with a $20.5 million maintenance backlog, according to Le Devoir.

The 2024 vérificatrice générale du Québec report shows that 65 per cent of CEGEP-level buildings in Quebec are in poor or very poor condition.

“[This] is why CEGEP de Saint-Laurent held a week-long strike last semester,” Ghantous said.

Ghantous said this problem could be solved through wealth taxation.

“There's economic prosperity everywhere, but where does it go?” Ghantous said. “It goes into private pockets. It goes into real estate and assets that keep adding value, and that value is not taxed.”

“I think the majority of people are not happy with the system,” Sergio Sanchez, a Revolutionary Communist Party member, said.

He said that he came to the protest to show his solidarity with students against systemic austerity.

“The austerity is the reflection of the system, of the situation in this moment,” Sanchez said.

The protesters marched approximately 3.5 km from La Fontaine Park to the Place-des-Arts metro station over two hours, surrounded by roughly 10 police officers on bicycles and motorbikes and two police cars. There were no clashes between police and protesters or civilians. Rather, people occasionally waved or cheered on the protesters.

Bouchard mentioned upcoming student strikes planned from Nov. 9 to Nov. 13.

“It's really important to gather around, be in solidarity with everyone,” Bouchard said.