University students asked to leave Legislative Assembly Thursday

Approximately 50 students, mostfrom the University of Moncton, were told to leave the Legislative Assembly Thursday followingprotests over financial relief of student debt.

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Many students in the gallery wore T-shirts with the number 35,200, whichthey say is the average student debt in New Brunswick and the highest in Canada.

House SpeakerChris Collins ruled the T-shirts were,in effect,participating in the debate from the public gallery.

Twicehe asked the students to cover upandwhen they refused, he ordered the sergeant-at-arms to remove them.

In the legislature halls, the studentsbegan chanting slogans.

Roxann Guerrette, president of the University of Moncton student federation, spoke outside the legislature.

She says whenthe government did not adequately addresstheir concerns,the studentsbegan their protest.

"They asked us yesterday to come to Fredericton, saying that they wanted to negotiate more, but there was nothing new brought to the table," she said. "We're still waiting to have that program revealed. Yesterday, they told us it was going to be next week, so."

FrancineLandry,theminister responsible for post-secondary education,said she was surprised by the protest, saying she had told the students that a new program was in the works to respond to their concerns.