Changes To Quebec’s 71st Youth Parliament In Wake of Pandemic

Quebec’s 71st youth parliament will go virtual and be delivered in podcast format in wake of the COVID-19 pandemic

MONTREAL, – The Youth Parliament of Quebec (PJQ) is 71 years of resilience in the face of many challenges encountered over the years. The year 2020 will not have been different. The health situation and the insecurity it generates forced the cancellation of the parliamentary simulation, as we knew it, last September. Knowing that a significant amount of work had already been done, we decided to postpone the legislative agenda for the 72 ^th  Legislature, which will take place in 2021.

Until next year, the organizing committee has prepared, under the name Off-71 ^th  Legislature, two mini-simulations online, which will take place 28 December 2020 and 9 January 2021. During these two half days, four topics will be discussed: care for the elderly, equal educational opportunities, the success of small agricultural businesses and the dissemination of works of art. In addition to this 71 Off- ^e , broadcasting a podcast about PJQ is scheduled for 2021.

Living the PJQ in the era of the pandemic

The young people who will take part in the Off-71 ^e will have the chance to live the PJQ experience in another, equally stimulating way. “We worked hard to build an online simulation that lived up to our expectations. The Off-71 ^e will be an excellent opportunity to celebrate the diversity of points of view while going to the heart of issues on subjects leading to moral and potentially transformative reflections, ”explains the premier of simulation and coordinator of the organizing committee , Frédérick Desbiens.

The PJQ podcast

The cancellation of the 71 ^th  Legislature has released a lot of time in advance of the next simulation. Consequently, the organizing committee decided to floor on a podcast with the objective to explore the history of the institution and make it known to a wider audience.

The podcast will take us back to the institution’s founding in 1949 and the many pivotal moments that marked the PJQ. We will talk about the presence of women and minorities at the PJQ, the social transformations that the PJQ has gone through and support for the development of young people. People who have already participated in the PJQ will be invited to discuss each of the themes and the importance that simulation has had in their lives.

About the Youth Parliament of Quebec

The Youth Parliament of Quebec, founded in 1949, is organized by the Quebec Association of Young Parliamentarians. This association’s mission is to initiate and educate young people in citizenship, to stimulate debates on major contemporary issues and to enable them to develop their leadership capacity and public speaking.

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