MONTRÉAL — Several political candidates in Quebec who identify as sexual or gender diverse say they are facing a growing tide of online abuse as the province heads toward a fall election, raising alarm within parties and among community groups.
Parties sounding the alarm
Québec solidaire officials describe the current volume of online hostility aimed at their LGBTQ+ candidates as both exceptional and alarming. The party’s president, Roxane Milot, who is running in a Montreal riding and identifies as bisexual, said the harassment is a broader barrier to political participation for marginalised people.
“We’re concerned, and I think all candidates and party leaders will need to be careful with their rhetoric,” Milot said.
Milot told reporters she had recently been targeted by hateful messages and online trolls. She said community organisations that work closely with the party have reported a deterioration in the online environment for prospective candidates from diverse backgrounds.
Threats and fallout
The wave of abuse has produced tangible consequences within party ranks. One Québec solidaire candidate, Vanessa Durand, withdrew from a nomination after past online posts containing hateful comments about Parti Québécois supporters from LGBTQ+ communities surfaced; she subsequently apologised and removed the post. Durand did not respond to requests for additional comment.
Separately, Philippe Schnobb — who entered politics in January as a Parti Québécois candidate and is running in the same Montreal riding as Milot — said he routinely receives homophobic comments. Schnobb, who also identifies as part of the sexual and gender diverse community, said some recent messages have risen to the level of threats.
“Ever since I became involved in politics, I’ve often received homophobic remarks,” Schnobb said. He added that as a public official in other roles — including when he chaired Montreal’s public transit agency — he did not experience the same intensity of targeted abuse.
Broader implications for representation
Party officials and candidates warn that sustained online harassment can deter members of marginalised communities from running for office, reducing the diversity of voices in elected bodies. Milot linked the online violence directly to the difficulty parties face when persuading queer, women and racialised people to become candidates.
Québec solidaire said it and partner organisations are monitoring the situation closely. The party urged leaders across the political spectrum to be mindful of their language and the potential for rhetoric to stoke harassment.
What candidates and parties are doing
Details vary by campaign, but the public responses from party officials indicate a mix of measures: heightened vigilance, internal review of candidate behaviour and public statements condemning harassment. Media interviews show some candidates are documenting abusive messages and consulting with party staff about security and reporting procedures.
- Québec solidaire has publicly described the volume of anti-LGBTQ+ online messages as "exceptional" and "alarming."
- A candidate, Vanessa Durand, withdrew after hateful online posts were revealed and apologised.
- Parti Québécois candidate Philippe Schnobb reports receiving homophobic remarks and threats since entering politics.
A civic concern ahead of the vote
Observers say the trend is a concern for the integrity of democratic processes: when harassment discourages candidates from running or silences those who do, voters face a narrower choice and the legislature may not reflect the province’s diversity. Community groups that track anti-LGBTQ+ incidents say the online environment has worsened in recent months in Quebec.
Police and platform-level reporting mechanisms remain the principal routes for responding to explicit threats and doxxing, but candidates and parties say those options do not always remove the broader climate of intimidation.
| Party | Noted issue |
|---|---|
| Québec solidaire | Wave of online hate targeting LGBTQ+ candidates; candidate withdrawal |
| Parti Québécois | Candidate reports homophobic remarks and threats |
As campaigning intensifies toward the fall election, both parties and community organisations said they will continue to document incidents and press for stronger protections for prospective and sitting candidates. The reports from Montreal illustrate a tension playing out provincially about who feels safe entering public life and how political discourse shapes that safety.
Geneviève Tremblay, reporting from Montréal.
