What Parlement jeunesse du Québec does

The Parlement jeunesse du Québec (PJQ) is a Quebec nonprofit civic education organization operating Canada's oldest parliamentary simulation, founded in 1949 and currently in its 77th legislature. Each year from December 26 to 30, approximately 100 young Quebecers aged 18-25 (extended to 28 for post-secondary students) occupy the seats of real MNAs at the Hôtel du Parlement in Quebec City to simulate the full legislative process — drafting bills, debating in committee, and voting — alongside a parallel journalistic simulation producing the daily newspaper La Colline and video coverage. The organization is legally operated by the Association québécoise des jeunes parlementaires (AQJP inc.), incorporated in 1988 and governed entirely by alumni volunteers through a Conseil d'administration and Comité exécutif. The AQJP alumni network also runs annual international delegate exchanges with the Parlement Jeunesse Wallonie-Bruxelles (since 1997), the Conseil des jeunes Valdôtains in Italy, and — as of 2025 — the Parlement jeunesse franco-manitobain.

PJQ's business model is a nonprofit, donation-and-fee hybrid. Participants pay $310 (against an actual cost of approximately $750 per participant), covering lodging at Auberge internationale de Québec, transport from Montreal, meals, and AQJP membership. The shortfall is subsidized through alumni donations: an annual $300 Senate membership for established alumni and a $60 Council membership for students/early-career professionals, both with official tax receipts. Additional revenue comes from one-time donations via the Zeffy platform, optional $50/$100 add-on donations during registration, the Quebec Soutien à l'action bénévole government grant, and private sponsorship (notably Desjardins Group). Financial aid through the AQJP Financial Aid Program reduces participation barriers. Go-to-market is community-led and event-driven: recruitment runs September 1 to November 1 annually via the pjq.qc.ca website, leveraging alumni word-of-mouth, post-secondary institution outreach, earned media (La Presse, Radio-Canada, Le Courrier Sud), and social media. The core technology is effectively none — PJQ is an in-person simulation, with no proprietary platform, API, or app; digital infrastructure is limited to a Squarespace-hosted website launched in 2025.

Name

Parlement jeunesse du Québec

Legal name

Association québécoise des jeunes parlementaires (AQJP inc.)

Website

https://pjq.qc.ca

Company type

Private

Founded year

1949

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

The Parlement jeunesse du Québec is a Quebec nonprofit operating Canada's oldest annual parliamentary simulation for ~100 youth aged 18-25, held each December at the Hôtel du Parlement, funded through participation fees, alumni donations, and government grants.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Youth Civic Education / Parliamentary Simulation

NAICS

Educational Services (611), Educational Services (61)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Model UN & Parliamentary Procedure Programs (Oratory-Focused) (EDAMAOAG)

Keywords

• Youth civic education
• Parliamentary simulation
• Legislative debate program
• Youth journalism simulation
• Democratic participation

Headquarters

HQ city

Québec

HQ country

Canada

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Operations, Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure, Others

Revenue model

1. Participation fees: Participants pay $310 in participation fees which cover lodging, transport, and meals for the five-day simulation. The actual cost is approximately $750 per participant, with the difference subsidized through fundraising efforts. Participation fees include AQJP membership dues.
2. Senate membership donations: Annual recurring donation of $300 from alumni members of the Senate. Provides official donation receipts for tax purposes. Supports maintaining accessibility of participation fees.
3. Council membership donations: Annual donation of $60 for alumni who are students or early-career professionals. Provides official donation receipts for tax purposes.
4. One-time donations: The organization accepts one-time donations of varying amounts through Zeffy platform. Optional additional donations of $50 or $100 can be made alongside participation fees for tax credit receipts.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

The Parlement jeunesse du Québec runs an annual non-partisan parliamentary simulation from December 26–30 at the Hôtel du Parlement in Quebec City, where approximately 100 Quebec youth aged 18–25 (up to 28 for post-secondary students) reproduce the functioning of the National Assembly by occupying real MNA seats, preparing speeches, and voting on peer-written bills. The program is paired with La Colline, a parallel journalism simulation that produces a daily newspaper and video journal covering the proceedings, including interviews with specialists and case studies.

Product overview

The Parlement jeunesse du Québec operates as a single unified program comprising two integrated components: an annual parliamentary simulation (the core product) held at the Hôtel du Parlement de Québec, where participants aged 18-25 reproduce the legislative process of the National Assembly; and La Colline, the parallel journalistic simulation that covers the parliamentary proceedings through daily newspaper editions and video journalism. The two components work in tandem — La Colline informs and enriches parliamentary debates through interviews, case studies, and reporting, while the parliamentary simulation provides the content for journalistic coverage.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• La Colline: The organization's journalistic simulation, producing a daily newspaper and video journal during the annual simulation, as well as pre-simulation editions. La Colline covers legislative debates, expert interviews, case studies, and political commentary through written, video, and photographic journalism.

Products and services

• Parlement jeunesse du Québec (Annual Parliamentary Simulation) Annual five-day (December 26–30) non-partisan parliamentary simulation held at the Hôtel du Parlement in Quebec City, where approximately 100 Quebec youth aged 18–25 (up to 28 for post-secondary students) reproduce the functioning of the National Assembly by occupying real MNA seats, preparing speeches, defending viewpoints, and voting on entirely peer-written bills. The program is gated by online registration from September 1 to November 1 annually, with the participation package (C$310) including lodging at Auberge internationale de Québec, transport from Montreal, meals, and AQJP membership.
• La Colline (Journalistic Simulation) Journalistic simulation producing a daily newspaper and video journal during the annual parliamentary simulation. A team of approximately 15 participants produces written articles, video segments, and photography covering legislative debates, expert interviews, case studies, and real-time reporting on parliamentary proceedings. La Colline informs and enriches the parliamentary debates through reporting while covering them.

Quantifiable outcome

• Participants learn the inner workings of Quebec democracy and political journalism through direct participation
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers2 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Nine partnerships are on record, tiered core, flagship and minor.

• Parlement jeunesse franco-manitobaincoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2025Canadian French-language parliamentary simulation in Manitoba, founded in 1984. First exchange began in 2025, marking PJQ's first partnership with another Canadian simulation. Annual exchanges of delegations occur.
• Parlement Jeunesse Wallonie-BruxellescoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 1997Belgian partner organization from which PJQ inspired its founding in 1993. Since 1997, the two organizations exchange 5 delegates each year. This is the longest-standing international partnership for PJQ.
• Conseil des jeunes ValdôtainscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerBased in Aosta Valley, Italy, this organization was inspired by PJWB which itself was inspired by PJQ. Annual delegation exchanges occur between the two organizations.
• Assemblée nationale du QuébecflagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe National Assembly of Quebec hosts the annual simulation in the Parliament building, allowing participants to occupy real MNAs' seats.
• Élections QuébecminorOthersQuebec's election authority partners with PJQ to support civic education activities.
• Auberge internationale de QuébeccoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorProvides lodging for all participants during the annual simulation in non-mixed rooms, located near the National Assembly.
• CNQ (Corporation des entreprises de presse du Québec)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerQuebec press corporation supports the journalistic component of the simulation.
• Y4Y Québec (Youth for Youth Quebec)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerYouth organization partnership supporting civic engagement among young Quebecers.
• FJAQ (Fédération de la jeunesse家族的)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerQuebec youth federation partner supporting youth civic participation initiatives.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Emerging players

• Jeunes Explorateurs d'un Jour: Quebec-based program that places high school students in professional work-shadowing experiences, including in legislative and political settings. Comparable in Quebec youth civic engagement mission, though focused on career exploration rather than direct legislative simulation.
• CitizenShift: Canadian civic education nonprofit focused on engaging young people in democratic processes and policy literacy. Comparable in the youth civic-participation mission, with overlapping audiences in university and college students.

Broad incumbents

• Encounters with Canada: Canada's largest youth forum (operating since 1982) that brings together high school students for week-long themed programs in Ottawa, including a journalism and democratic-engagement track. Comparable in mission and Canadian youth-civic focus, though broader in thematic scope.
• Model United Nations (various): The broader MUN ecosystem simulates international parliamentary-style proceedings for students. While typically focused on international diplomacy rather than domestic legislative simulation, MUN shares the experiential civic-education format and youth demographic that PJQ targets.
• Forum for Young Canadians: Formerly a major Canadian youth civic education program bringing students to Ottawa for parliamentary immersion. Direct conceptual peer for parliamentary-education experiential learning, though the program has been disrupted/shut down, illustrating the fragility of single-event civic models.
• YMCA Youth & Government: Long-running civic education program offering mock legislative and judicial simulations for high school and college students across the U.S. and Canada. Comparable youth civic-engagement mission, though larger in scale and operating across multiple jurisdictions.

Regional players

• Institut du Nouveau Monde: Quebec-based nonprofit that promotes civic participation and democratic engagement across all age groups, including youth programming. Operates in the same province and addresses overlapping problems (political literacy, youth engagement) though via workshops and deliberative forums rather than annual parliamentary simulation.

Direct peers

• Conseil des jeunes Valdôtains: Aosta Valley (Italy) youth parliamentary simulation that engages in annual delegation exchanges with PJQ. Comparable in mission (youth civic engagement in a francophone minority context) and was inspired by PJQ via the Belgian parliament network.
• Parlement jeunesse franco-manitobain: Franco-Manitoban parliamentary simulation founded in 1984, with which PJQ launched its first Canadian domestic exchange in 2025. Directly comparable in format, language, and target demographic of French-speaking youth in a minority setting.
• Parlement Jeunesse Wallonie-Bruxelles: Belgian francophone parliamentary simulation that has exchanged delegates with PJQ annually since 1997 (the longest-standing international partnership). Directly comparable in format, audience, and educational mission, and is the organization from which PJQ inspired its Belgian spinoff.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/ParlementJeunesseQuebec
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/parlement-jeunesse-du-qu%C3%A9bec

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles7 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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