Students aim to be heard

New campaign posters started popping up around the city last week. Jumbled among the partisan municipal election posters, the new signs, made to look like writing on a chalkboard, aimed to promote the interests of youth 8212; one of the least represented voices in the 2005 election.
Jeunes pour Montreal is a third-party interest group encouraging youth to speak their mind and hold politicians to campaign promises.
“We want young people to make known what matters to them,” spokesperson Nicolas Descroix said. “And so far, the response has been very encouraging.”
The group’s website provides a forum for youth to express issues they care about.
As of last Thursday night there had been 2,043 visitors to the site since it launched Oct. 7, according to the site’s webmaster, Sébastien Lavoie.
The group’s Facebook page has over 520 fans.
Messages posted on the website have indicated the highest priorities among youth are public transportation and the environment.
Specifically, many are interested in having the metro run later at night, especially on weekends.
Projet Montréal, Union Montréal and Vision Montréal each sent their thoughts and opinions on the subject to the group’s Facebook page.
The parties’ submissions are the only time specific parties have been mentioned through Jeunes pour Montreal’s online forums.
The group takes its non-partisan status very seriously, deleting any post overtly supporting a single party, Descroix, a 24-year-old student at Université de Montréal said.
The group has been said to be funded by a number of student associations from across the city. But Descroix admitted that the majority of the funding came from U de M.
“Our costs aren’t very high,” he said. “It’s just a group, we don’t have employees. So it’s just the cost of the website and the posters.”
Though the posters were erected throughout the island last week, many have since been taken down. Because the group isn’t registered with the chief electoral officer of these elections, their posters were considered illegal.
“We understand, but we wish they gave them back to us. Now we don’t know if they’ve just been thrown out.” The city won’t confirm how the recyclable posters were disposed of.
The group will remain active for a short period following the Nov. 1 election, Descroix said, so students can keep an eye on what comes of campaign promises.
As for getting students to the polls, Descroix admitted Jeunes pour Montreal was late in getting started, since all voters had to be registered by Sept. 30.
“Many students hadn’t even finished moving in or changing their address by then,” said Descroix, who is registered. “We want a system like they have for federal elections, where you can register up to the day of the election. If this campaign runs again for the next election we want to get out before the registration deadline.”

New campaign posters started popping up around the city last week. Jumbled among the partisan municipal election posters, the new signs, made to look like writing on a chalkboard, aimed to promote the interests of youth 8212; one of the least represented voices in the 2005 election.
Jeunes pour Montreal is a third-party interest group encouraging youth to speak their mind and hold politicians to campaign promises.
“We want young people to make known what matters to them,” spokesperson Nicolas Descroix said. “And so far, the response has been very encouraging.”
The group’s website provides a forum for youth to express issues they care about.
As of last Thursday night there had been 2,043 visitors to the site since it launched Oct. 7, according to the site’s webmaster, Sébastien Lavoie.
The group’s Facebook page has over 520 fans.
Messages posted on the website have indicated the highest priorities among youth are public transportation and the environment.
Specifically, many are interested in having the metro run later at night, especially on weekends.
Projet Montréal, Union Montréal and Vision Montréal each sent their thoughts and opinions on the subject to the group’s Facebook page.
The parties’ submissions are the only time specific parties have been mentioned through Jeunes pour Montreal’s online forums.
The group takes its non-partisan status very seriously, deleting any post overtly supporting a single party, Descroix, a 24-year-old student at Université de Montréal said.
The group has been said to be funded by a number of student associations from across the city. But Descroix admitted that the majority of the funding came from U de M.
“Our costs aren’t very high,” he said. “It’s just a group, we don’t have employees. So it’s just the cost of the website and the posters.”
Though the posters were erected throughout the island last week, many have since been taken down. Because the group isn’t registered with the chief electoral officer of these elections, their posters were considered illegal.
“We understand, but we wish they gave them back to us. Now we don’t know if they’ve just been thrown out.” The city won’t confirm how the recyclable posters were disposed of.
The group will remain active for a short period following the Nov. 1 election, Descroix said, so students can keep an eye on what comes of campaign promises.
As for getting students to the polls, Descroix admitted Jeunes pour Montreal was late in getting started, since all voters had to be registered by Sept. 30.
“Many students hadn’t even finished moving in or changing their address by then,” said Descroix, who is registered. “We want a system like they have for federal elections, where you can register up to the day of the election. If this campaign runs again for the next election we want to get out before the registration deadline.”