The 5-month-old student conflict has been a defining issue of the 2012 campaign, with every major political party taking a hard line on the issue. The Liberals have characterized the election as a battle between law and order and the “street” politics they say student leaders are employing. At the other end of the spectrum, Parti Québécois leader Pauline Marois has embraced the boycotting students, going so far as to enlist former boycott leader Léo Bureau-Blouin as a candidate for the Laval des Rapides riding. Corneau and Fournier aren’t buying into either party line. “Léo Bureau-Blouin is a sellout, he’s put his career ahead of the cause and we can see right through that,” Corneau said. “People are talking about strategically voting for the PQ, but I’m vehemently opposed to that kind of thinking. Marois is an opportunist who not so long ago was for the tuition hike. Now (Marois) and Blouin are telling students not to march on the streets until the election is over. It’s a very paternalistic, insulting approach to the problem.” The CEGEP de St. Laurent student says he supports many of the views espoused by Québec solidaire but remains skeptical about how more political influence might affect the party. For his part, Fournier said Premier Jean Charest has oversimplified the debate. “It’s a lot more nuanced than either side would have you believe,” he said. “Right now, I’m open to changing my mind, but I want to give the Coalition Avenir Québec a try. They seem to be willing to find some sort of middle ground.” CAQ leader François Legault is in favour of a tuition increase but has suggested a more gradual increase in rates combined with certain tax-credit breaks for students. Meanwhile, two vastly different campaigns are afoot to get young voters heading to the polls. Since 2003, the non-partisan group l’Institut du Nouveau Monde has been trying to engage voters between the ages of 18-to-35 with youth forums, surveys and a free civic education course they give to about 400 people each summer. “The province’s youth are committing political suicide,” INM director Michel Venne said Tuesday. “Elections don’t have a monopoly on political expression, but they’re the most crucial aspect of it.” Despite its best efforts, the INM hasn’t done much to quell the declining percentage of young voters during its nine-year existence. Two of Quebec’s largest student federations have decided to take a more grassroots approach to politicizing their peers. The province’s CEGEP and university federations took a break from picketing Montreal’s streets this summer to go door to door in 10 Liberal ridings in an effort to rally the youth vote. Both organizations are banking on teams of young volunteers to be able to relate to people in their teens and early 20s. Voter participation may not hinge on either of these efforts, said 22-year-old McGill University graduate Thierry Plourde. “No matter where I go, I can’t avoid a discussion, a debate or an argument about the election with friends or relatives,” said Plourde, a self-proclaimed Liberal supporter. “It’s gotten to the point where sometimes we just have to agree not to talk about it. People either get way too heated or just don’t know how to have a civil discussion.” While Corneau, Fournier and Plourde might disagree on any number of issues surrounding this campaign, all said their generation is much more complex and ideologically diverse than it may seem. “We care about more than just tuition and we’re not lazy or apathetic. I worked 20 hours a week on a full course load, while organizing strike-related activities,” Corneau said. “We care about civil rights, the environment, about living in a just society. We debate about what it means for a premier to put the economy before everything else and whether or not that’s a good thing. There’s such a swath of opinions among young voters that aren’t being heard right now.” ccurtis@montrealgazette.com