Skip to the story
All StoriesPoliticsConflict & SecurityBusiness & EconomyScience & TechHealthClimateMedia
All stories
Politics15 outlets ran this4 min read

Québec solidaire candidates report surge in online hate ahead of provincial election

LGBTQ+ candidates from multiple parties say homophobic threats and slurs have intensified in recent weeks

AI-assisted coverage comparison, editor-supervised · How this was made

Published Updated
Québec solidaire candidates report surge in online hate ahead of provincial election

What this story says

  • Québec solidaire says its LGBTQ+ candidates are facing an “exceptional” wave of online hate ahead of the 2026 provincial election.
  • Parti Québécois candidate Philippe Schnobb reports receiving homophobic threats, including a comment referencing a “2×4”.
  • All major parties acknowledge the problem, but none of the right-rated outlets in the sample carried the story.
  • The reports agree that the surge coincides with Pride month celebrations across Quebec.

Who covered it

Left 64%(9)Centre 36%(5)Right 0%(0)

Percentages are shares of the 14 outlets carrying a published leaning rating. 1 of the 15 outlets we know ran this story carry no rating and are not counted in them. Coverage measured .

Trust

56/100

Craft

87/100

Hype

15/100

15 sources · methodology

Thin on the right so far

None of the 14 outlets with a published leaning rating that ran this story are rated right.

This story is still being watched, so it is a count and not yet a finding. Coverage keeps arriving for hours after an event, and a side that has published nothing this morning may publish by tonight. If it is still true when we stop checking, we will say so plainly.

LGBTQ+ candidates running in Quebec’s provincial election say they are facing a surge of online hate, including threats and slurs. Québec solidaire, a left-wing party, describes the volume as “exceptional” and “alarming”. Party president Roxane Milot, who is bisexual and running in a Montreal riding, says she has personally received hateful messages on social media.

Philippe Schnobb, a Parti Québécois candidate in the same riding, says he regularly receives homophobic remarks. One comment on his social media posts included a threat referencing a “2×4”. Schnobb, who identifies as part of the sexual and gender-diverse community, says the abuse has intensified since he entered politics in January 2026. He has not taken legal action.

The reports agree that the surge coincides with Pride month celebrations across Quebec. Liberal Leader Charles Milliard, who is gay, has also faced homophobic remarks, including during a February interview when he was asked if Quebecers were ready to elect a gay premier. Milliard responded that every Quebecer has the right to vote and that he would not hide who he is.

Parties say they have adapted to the rise in online violence. Québec solidaire has set up support groups and remote assistance for affected candidates. The Liberal Party offers training sessions to help candidates handle violent situations. Coalition Avenir Québec says it monitors candidates’ social media accounts and deplores such attacks.

Tags:#QuebecElection2026#LGBTQRights#OnlineHate#CanadianPolitics#PrideMonth

Still developing. We have re-checked which outlets are covering this 6 times, most recently on 8 Aug 2026, 17:30, and will add the sides that appear.

How each side covered it

Our own reading of the reporting listed below, written from the outlets’ articles rather than quoted from them. The reasoning is set out on our methodology page.

Left

9 rated outlets

  • The five left-rated digests all led on the surge in online hate targeting LGBTQ+ candidates. They carried the claim by Québec solidaire that the volume is “exceptional” and “alarming”, and the detail that party president Roxane Milot has personally received hateful messages. The digests also included the homophobic threat referencing a “2×4” directed at Parti Québécois candidate Philippe Schnobb.
  • La Presse, the only left-rated outlet whose full report is printed, quoted Milot saying the situation is “getting worse by the day in Quebec” and that online violence deters marginalised people from entering politics. It also reported that Québec solidaire candidate Vanessa Durand withdrew after making hateful remarks against Parti Québécois supporters from LGBTQ+ communities.
  • None of the right-rated outlets in the sample carried the story. The digests from left and centre outlets did not mention the specific number of messages received by candidates or whether any police reports had been filed. The full reports from Medicine Hat News and La Presse did not include responses from the Quebec Conservative Party beyond confirming that its leader, Éric Duhaime, has received hateful comments online.

Centre

5 rated outlets

  • The centre-rated reports agree that Québec solidaire candidates and other LGBTQ+ political figures in Quebec reported a surge in online hate ahead of the provincial election. All five outlets carried the party’s statement that the volume of abuse was “exceptional” and “alarming”.
  • Medicine Hat News and Battlefords NOW, whose full reports are printed below, led on the personal accounts of Québec solidaire president Roxane Milot and Parti Québécois candidate Philippe Schnobb. Both described receiving homophobic messages and threats on social media. Schnobb’s report of a commenter saying a “2×4 is waiting for you” was included in both articles.
  • The two full reports also noted that Québec solidaire candidate Vanessa Durand withdrew after posting hateful remarks about Parti Québécois supporters from LGBTQ+ communities. Neither the Winnipeg Free Press, L’actualité, nor Ckpg Today digests mentioned Durand’s withdrawal or Schnobb’s specific threats.

Right

0 rated outlets

No outlet rated right has run this story so far. We are still checking, and will say plainly if that does not change.

Read it at the source

15 outlets, grouped by the leaning a published rating gives them. Every headline links to the original; an underlined outlet name opens our profile of that publisher.

Left

9
Show 1 more

Centre

5

Right

0

No outlet in this group ran the story.

Not rated

1

How did this read?

About the coverage, not about the story. We do not ask whether you agree with what happened — we have no honest use for that answer.

More in Politics

All Politics →
Ford urges Carney to extend fuel tax suspension beyond Labour Day3 min readFord urges Carney to extend fuel tax suspension beyond Labour DayRead storyGreg Abbott4 min readTrump calls Texas data centre pause a mistake after Abbott halts approvalsRead storyThe chairman's gavel is visible before a Senate Homeland Security Committee hearing on Capitol Hill on May 19, 2026 in Washington, DC. . (Photo by Andrew Harnik/Getty Images)4 min readJudge rejects SPLC bid to dismiss Trump administration fraud caseRead story
Quebec election candidates report surge in online hate | MediaBias News