Parlement Jeunesse du Québec

jeunes parlementaires

Québec (Québec, Canada)

Annie Lagueux
Edouardo Perez
Sarah Ménard April

The Parlement jeunesse du Québec (PJQ) is one of a number of provincial youth parliaments across Canada. Each year, about a hundred of young participants, aged between 18 and 25, meet up in Quebec to discuss and debate like the real politicians. It aims to reproduce as faithfully as it can the functioning of the parliament of Quebec, the National Assembly of Quebec. Indeed, like the real parliament, the PJQ has its majority party that forms the government, led by the Prime minister, as well as the official opposition, led by the Leader of Opposition.
While similar in many ways to the National Assembly of Quebec, the PJQ also has many differences that distinguish it from the real parliament. The main one is that there is no vote by party (In the British parliamentary tradition, deputies are required to vote with their party, or else they face expulsion). In other words, deputies from each party are free to vote for what they truly believe, and the Opposition can even agree with the decisions of the Government! This allows more genuine debates and participants have a special opportunity of expressing their ideas without being held back by their party.
The PJQ is organized by the Quebecer Association of the Young Parliament Members inc (Association québécoise des jeunes parlementaires [AQJP]), a non-profit organization that is financed by the participation fees, by governmental subsidies, and by private sponsors.

The Parlement jeunesse du Québec aims at reproducing as precisely as possible the proper functioning of the Parliament of Quebec. A fictive party with the majority of the house forms the government and the Prime minister at its head is facing the chief of the official opposition and his parliamentary group, the official opposition.

The Parlement jeunesse du Québec has nevertheless distinctive elements with regards to the authentic National Assembly. The major one is the absence of party discipline, which enables a member of the governmental party to freely vote against a bill initiated by the executive and presented by a minister of his own party. Likewise, a member of parliament from the opposition can freely support governmental bills. In addition, the ministerial solidarity does not exist.

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Wikipedia