Quebec Liberals should focus on environment, youth wing says

Quebec’s young Liberals will hold their annual convention this weekend in Quebec City but not before they presented their plan for a “More Ambitious Quebec” on Wednesday.

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The Quebec Liberal youth wing wants its next party leader to concentrate on the environment. They have a vision: they want Quebec to become a world leader in green technology.

The Quebec Liberal Party will soon enter into a leadership race to replace former premier Philippe Couillard, which will kick off in November. The Liberals experienced their worst defeat in the history of the party in the 2018 provincial election. They now have fewer than 30 seats with only 25 per cent of the popular vote.

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The youth wing says in order to regain the majority francophone vote, the party needs to focus more on civic nationalism and protecting the French language. It does not support the religious symbols ban and instead says the Liberal Party should promise to adopt a law on interculturalism that would promote cross-cultural interaction.

“We don’t really need to point to the fact that the Liberals are going to defend minority rights. That’s been our trademark for some time and of course we have to continue in this way,” said Stéphane Stril, president of the Liberal youth commission.

“We can do both. We can protect Quebec’s language and culture and protect minority rights at the same time,” he said.

Tweet This Click to share quote on Twitter: "We can do both. We can protect Quebec's language and culture and protect minority rights at the same time," he said.

Only one person so far has announced her candidacy for head of the party: Saint-Henri-Sainte-Anne MNA, Dominique Anglade. The Liberal youth say they are not endorsing her — at least not yet — but they are looking forward to giving her their pitch.

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“Our job is to make sure that every candidate will say this is our platform,” Stril said.

At this weekend’s convention, Liberal youth members will debate on 10 priorities they see as the future for their party.