Unions and community groups gathered at Place du Canada in Montreal on Saturday for a massive demonstration called “Dans la rue pour le Québec” —in the streets for Quebec— marching together against the CAQ government. 

Demonstrators headed to the offices of Premier François Legault and Labour Minister Jean Boulet to say no to budget cuts, anti-union measures, and laws that threaten workers’ rights and freedoms.

Unions and community groups gathered at Place du Canada in Montreal on Saturday for a massive demonstration called “Dans la rue pour le Québec”, marching together against the CAQ government. (Alan Sukonnik, CityNews)

“I came alone from Saint-Eustache and we’re here because we think that the government of Mr. Legault has been attacking unions and union rights which is attacking the rights of the people. And this concerns me and I want to show my concern today,” said a retired man from the FAE teachers union.

Céline, a retired employee of Quebec’s correctional institutions, was at the protest and said, “I’m here to manifest with everybody in Quebec about our work, about the conventions that are not signed yet, about almost everything that’s happening right now with the government.”

The action took place the day before Boulet’s fast-tracking of Bill 14 goes into effect on November 30— a law that gives the government tools to quickly end labour disputes.

“For the STM we had a clear example of the effect it might have on the bargaining process because at some point when the Société Transport [de Montreal] realized that it didn’t need to bargain because the bill would be enforced sooner than later, they just stopped bargaining,” said Bertrand Guibord, the president of Conseil Central du Montreal Métropolitain-CSN. “That had a real concrete effect on the dynamics at the table.”

“What started as a union protest is not really a protest of all civil society against the CAQ’s government and its right-wing attacks on everyone.”

Bill 3, another target of the demonstration, aims to restrict the ability of unions to use their dues to fund anything beyond bargaining, contracts, working conditions, or core union obligations.

That means organizing events like this could become much harder.

“But at the end of the day, just imagine if you can opt out those union dues you will be faced like in some case some members will pay, some members will won’t pay. So it will be super difficult to manage, just manage the system by itself will be super difficult,” said Frederic, a CSN member.

Guibord added, “This is a historical moment. If Legault actually gets what he wants we will be brought back decades and decades in terms of social and democratic rights. It’s really an important moment. It’s not a matter whether you like unions or not. It’s a matter if you want to protect your own rights as a citizen to have an impact on political life in Quebec.”