Saturday demonstration: Quebec community groups as angry as unions

Four union leaders: Éric Gingras, president of the CSQ, Magali Picard, president of the FTQ, Robert Comeau, president of the APTS, and François Enault, vice-president of the CSN, photographed on January 7, 2024, in Montreal. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Graham Hughes

The large demonstration “Dans la rue pour le Québec” (In the streets for Quebec) taking place on Saturday in Montreal will not only attract unions.

Community groups will also be present; they say they are just as angry with the Legault government as the unions.

“We didn’t expect to be attacked so head-on in recent months with bills. It’s been one bill after another, all specifically targeting the autonomy of independent community groups,” said Claudia Fiore-Leduc, campaign manager for the Quebec Network for Independent Community Action, in an interview.

Five national groups representing 4,500 community organizations will participate in Saturday’s demonstration alongside the unions.

“We are taken aback by the scale of it. It goes beyond the financial; when our autonomy is attacked, democracy is attacked,” said Fiore-Leduc.

Community groups are also calling out chronic underfunding when there are growing needs, while the government has imposed budget restrictions on health and education.

The major unions have all confirmed their participation in this demonstration, including the four FTQ federations, CSN, CSQ, and CSD, as well as the Interprofessional Health Federation (FIQ), the Independent Federation of Education (FAE), the Alliance of Professional and Technical Staff in Health and Social Services (APTS), the Quebec Government Professionals Union (SPGQ), and the Quebec Public and Parapublic Service Union.

- By Lia Lévesque in Montreal

- This report by The Canadian Press was first published in French on Nov. 28, 2025.