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IQALUIT - It was a tough crowd all right. Nine local candidates in the upcoming territorial election faced a formidable challenge this month at a forum hosted by Inuksuk high school.

Students Enooyaq Sudlovenick and Sheba Munick-Denault said they learned one important lesson right off the bat.

"There were no straight answers at all," Sudlovenick said with a laugh.

The forum, held Oct. 3 in the school tisi, attracted the full slate of candidates for Iqaluit East, West and Centre.

Students peppered their political prey with questions on issues ranging from water sustainability policies to housing to mental health issues.

"A lot of times we don't give the kids credit, but they really understand so much more than we think they do," said principal Terry Young.

Sudlovenick raised the issue of language instruction, saying she had a hard time making the transition from an Inuktitut-only upbringing to English instruction in school.

"They're not really training the teachers. There are some Inuktitut teachers but they're not really all trained the same, so we're not being taught properly anyway," she said.

Munick-Denault, who will be voting for the first time in this territorial election, said she was paying close attention to who had the most consistent answers.

"There definitely was someone who attracted my attention, who seemed well-rounded on all the issues.

"I've made my choice," she said.

For their part, candidates jostled to relate to their young hosts, citing their own sometimes recent graduations or hockey-mom status.

Kakki Peter, 26, was the youngest candidate to take the stage. A graduate of the school only eight years ago, he told students he believed youth should be thought of "as part of the community," rather than a disparate group.

Most candidates took the time to discuss mental health issues and suicide.

"In the month of September, seven people took their lives. It is something we have to deal with. There's no treatment centres," said Glenn Williams, who, like Peter, is running in Iqaluit East.

Unfortunately, a rather lengthy format prevented all the student's queries from being heard.

Towards the end of the event, a number of youth struggled to make their concerns heard on issues ranging from the status of French language in schools and the possibility of a local liquor store.