By William Crooks
Local Journalism Initiative
Around 60 young adults from across the province spent their last day at the Bishop’s Forum presenting proposals to solve various pressing provincial problems to a panel of expert ‘commissioners’ on Aug. 16.
The forum, which ran from Aug. 11-16 brought English-speaking youth from across Quebec together for an in depth look at Quebec’s political, social and economic systems.
On the final day, the participants had the opportunity to engage in civic leadership by proposing solutions to issues faced by Quebecers. Their ideas were evaluated by a panel of expert commissioners. The participants also faced a media scrum where reporters asked questions about the proposals.
The Record sat in on half of the presentations and participated in simulated media scrums after each presentation.
Topics included healthcare, housing issues and education, and were each 10 minutes in length.
At one point during the morning, Saint-François MNA Geneviève Hébert, acting as one of the commissioners, drew criticism from a participant for communicating in French at forum geared specifically to English-speaking youth.
The participant addressed Hébert in their Indigenous mother tongue, later explaining that if Hébert insisted on speaking a language they did not understand, they would do likewise.
