Milliard rallies young Liberals as party gears up for election campaign at convention

MONTREAL – Quebec Liberal Leader Charles Milliard pledged to make inroads on innovation, education and mental health in a speech to the party’s youth wing over the weekend, two weeks or less from the start of a provincial election campaign.

The event saw some 400 rank-and-file members descend on a high school on Montreal’s South Shore to hash out policy proposals, stoke enthusiasm and prepare for the impending political battle.

“For thousands of young people over the past 40 years, it was here at the Liberal party’s youth convention that they first caught the political bug,” said Milliard, who was a teenage member in 1998.

“At the time, I had no idea where that commitment would take me.”

On Saturday, Milliard vowed to create an entrepreneurship access program that would allow aspiring business owners to launch or take over a company by using a portion of their RRSP as a down payment.

Should he be elected premier this fall, he also pledged to launch a process leading to a provincewide education summit within the first 100 days of his term. Milliard further called for adequate compensation for internships, simplifying student financial aid and a special commission on mental health.

Young party members had asked Milliard to promise a government ministry of youth, but the 46-year-old leader pledged instead to incorporate youth affairs into the premier’s office.

Running unopposed after his predecessor Pablo Rodriguez stepped down in December amid allegations of vote-buying during his leadership race, Milliard took over the top spot in February.

An election is set for Oct. 5, pitting the province’s five main parties against each other after eight years under the Coalition Avenir Québec.

Several workshops over the weekend were scheduled to school young Liberals in managing a riding campaign, using social media and beefing up their networks.

Charlie Bourdages, outgoing head of the party’s youth commission, said younger people want a more long-term focus from their political leaders.

“Too often, when people talk about young people in politics, they talk about us without talking to us, but we don’t need anyone to speak for us,” she told attendees Saturday.

“This convention isn’t happening at just any time,” Bourdages continued. “In a few weeks — or even a few days — Quebec will be holding an election … and this election will determine much more than just the next government.”

Gathering in Saint-Lambert, Que., participants hunkered down to debate 17 resolutions, including proposals to expand post-secondary offerings outside of big cities and improve public infrastructure.

For Bourdages, the party’s youth wing stands out because of its convictions on the environment as well as its commitment to a federalism aimed at building “a strong Quebec within a united Canada.”

“The young people here are driven by the desire to create wealth so that it can be better redistributed,” she said in an interview.

Victor Pelletier, a past president of the CAQ’s youth wing who switched over to the red team from the ruling party less than two months ago, said it was the Liberals’ economic message that prompted him to change sides.

“I was disappointed by several of the CAQ’s decisions, and I felt that Charles Milliard offered a sound economic vision,” he said of the one-time head of the federation of Quebec chambers of commerce.

“I want a government that manages our public finances well.”

The convention also marked an opportunity for Liberal youth from across the province to share perspectives from outlying regions.

“A Quebec that includes both Montreal and the regions — that’s what makes it strong,” said Pelletier, a native of Blainville, an off-island suburb of Montreal. “It’s important to bring a regional voice to the table.”

Added 19-year-old Chloé Martin, who lives in the Beauce region south of Quebec City: “Sometimes we get the impression that the regions are under-represented, or that they don’t count for much.”

The convention was slated to wrap up Sunday afternoon.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Aug. 15, 2026.