Martin Coiteux defiant amid austerity protests

As a week-long blitz of anti-austerity demonstrations gets underway, Treasury Board President Martin Coiteux says the Quebec government won't back down from its plans to slash spending.

Coiteux, the MNA for Nelligan,told Daybreak Montreal the Liberals were elected on a promise to balance the budget and that's what they'll do.

"We have to remember the problem. We're spending $11 billion on interest every year.That's like a family with an income of $75,000 spending $11,000 on interest alone," Coiteux said Monday.

"What Quebecerswant is a government determined to bring back fiscal balance."

• ASS student group preps for spring anti-austerity protests
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The comments come as a series of "disruptive actions'' beginacross the province.

A coalition of community groups, unions, and student groups is holding five or six events per day this week, including marches and protests as well as more creative actions such as flash mobs.

"We've tried for many years to tell the government that there are other choices instead of cutting back public services,"SbastienRivard, a spokesman for the coalition, toldDaybreak, arguing that corporations should pay more taxes.

In addition to this week's demonstrations, the coalition isplanning other actions throughout the spring, including a province-wide protest day and a new round of student classroom boycottsin thehopes of another "Maple Spring" like the one in 2012.

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