Quebec leaders answer young voters' questions in unofficial pre-election debate

Young voters got a taste of what the upcoming provincial election could look like at a question-and-answer event Friday evening with all four main party leaders at Concordia University.

Though the exchanges were amicable — there was a good deal of laughter — and many of the attendants were partisan, questions came from all over the province, reflecting what's important to young voters this year.

More than 700 people, mostly between 18 to 35 years old, gathered in the downtown amphitheatre for the discussion hosted by Le Devoir and the Institut du Nouveau Monde.

The goal was to encourage voter engagement among young people.

In 2014, 56 per cent of people between 18 and 24 years old voted in the provincial election. For 25 to 34 year olds, the rate was of 60 per cent, while the overall participation rate that year was of 71 per cent.

The leaders appeared relaxed as they discussed election reform, immigration, taxes, the environment, Quebec independence and even crytpo-currency.

French tests a point of contention

But things got tense when Coalition Avenir Québec's François Legault was asked how to protect the French language in Quebec.

He repeated his plan to have newcomers take a french test after three years — and if they didn't pass, they wouldn't get citizenship. Some in the crowd booed at that idea.

Legault, Québec Solidaire's Manon Massé and the Parti Québécois's Jean-François Lisée all confirmed their desire for electoral reform for proportionality, but incumbent premier and Liberal Party chief Philippe Couillard was steadfast in his support for the electoral status quo.

Another sticking point for Massé was developing better environmental protection policies. 

"We're messing up the planet," she said, turning to the millennial audience. "And you're the ones who will have to live with the consequences."

Aug. 23 is the election's official start and though it feels like the leaders are already in election mode, things are expected to heat up on that date.