Vanier College CEGEP votes to join student strike Thursday

Students at Vanier College have voted in favour of a one-dayclass boycott.

Nearly 6,000 daytimestudents at the Ville St. LaurentCEGEP will not be in class Thursday.

Of the2,262students who voted,about 1,800were in favour of a one-day strike to demonstrateagainst provincial government budget cuts.

• Montreal-area English CEGEPs to vote on student strike

"We can't say we're surprised, but that's the way Vanierstudents voted, so we're going to go on strike tomorrow," saidMajed Abou Alkhir,president of the VanierCollege Student Association.

"We tried our best as an association to inform students on what austerity measures cost andwhat the disadvantages are. We tried to have arguments from both sides,"said Abou Alkhir.

He said that although all daytime classes will be cancelled, night classes and internships will go ahead.

There is also a general assembly Thursdaymorning, where if quorum is reached, students can vote whether or not to extend the strike.

Two other English-languageCEGEPS,Dawson College and Champlain College, voted against joiningthe protest.

McGill University law students have voted to join the class boycott. Of the527 students whovoted in this ballot,310 were in favour of the strike.