"Premier Charest has gone too far and is violating the basic rights of citizens and students," said Cindy Oliver, President of the 10,000 member Federation of Post-Secondary Educators (FPSE). She was commenting on the latest developments in the ongoing protest by Quebec students over proposed increases in post-secondary tuition fees.

"The tabling and passage of Bill 78 by the Charest government is a punitive and regressive step in the wrong direction," added Oliver. "The legislation places severe restrictions on the basic right of every citizen in that province to publicly express their opposition, a restriction that puts Bill 78 at odds with the rights guaranteed under the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms," Oliver noted.

"Today we have sent a letter to Premier Charest expressing our opposition to Bill 78. We have also sent letters of support to the three major student organizations in Quebec expressing our solidarity and opposition to the legislative attacks that have been directed at the students. The ranks of those who are opposed to Bill 78 continues to grow and we want to ensure that students in that province understand that we are on their side in condemning the legislation as draconian and heavy-handed. We're are confident that as the number of groups opposed to Bill 78 continues to increase, Premier Charest will rethink his government's actions and work to find a peaceful resolution to the tuition fee dispute," Oliver concluded.