QUEBEC—The Quebec government is calling for a “truce” from student groups — for just a few hours — before it agrees to any meeting.

It wants the province’s three main student groups to swear off disruptive protest tactics like those that have flared up across Quebec in recent weeks.

If that happens, the provincial government said Monday that it will finally sit down with the three main protest groups, including the most radical one.

“I’m not asking the student groups to reject their pressure tactics forever... I’m asking for a truce for several hours,” Education Minister Line Beauchamp said.

“I’m inviting them, I’m waiting for them.”

So far, the province and student groups have been unable to agree even on conditions for a meeting, with the presence of the most radical group, called the C.L.A.S.S.E., a main sticking point.

The two sides are even farther apart when it comes to the more substantive issue that has inflamed Quebec this spring: tuition hikes.

The government has made it clear that, even if there is a meeting, it won’t back down on its plan to hike tuition fees by roughly 75 per cent over five years.

Meanwhile, protesters have been voicing a variety of different demands: some are asking for a tuition freeze, some want tuition scrapped altogether, and some are even voicing a desire for broader social and economic change.

Quebec has been beset by large and sometimes rowdy protests in recent weeks.