Like you, I was eagerly awaiting today's mid-afternoon news conference once word circulated that Premier Jean Charest was going to address reporters about the on-going student crisis.

I was hoping the Premier was going to announce a deal, or at least progress towards reaching a deal, over the government's demand that students pay more for university tuition. I sure didn't expect Line Beauchamp's resignation as the province's minister of education. Few people did, I suspect.

You've heard by now that Treasury Board president Michelle Courchesne will take over the ministry she once headed.

So what does this mean?

If nothing else, students will see this as a victory. They don't have the tuition fee freeze, yet. But they've managed to get a high-ranking cabinet minister, who also just happened to be Quebec's deputy premier, to not only step down but to quit politics altogether.

It seems to me this will only convince students they are on the right track; they're sticking together while managing to oust the now previous education minister from the process of trying to find a solution.

Time will tell if Courchesne will be more effective. I don't know about you, but I'm not holding my breath.

We'll talk about this during my show at 8 o'clock tonight.