MONTREAL, August 29, 2026 — Surrounded by candidates and members of the Green Party of Quebec gathered at party headquarters, Alex Tyrrell officially launched the PVQ’s 11th election campaign on Saturday. In a speech focused on the cost-of-living crisis, the environment, public services, peace and social justice, the party leader presented the PVQ as an ecosocialist alternative to Quebec’s political and economic status quo.
“For nearly 45 years, the Green Party of Quebec has brought together passionate people to challenge the status quo by offering a strong, credible, thoughtful and well-researched alternative,” Tyrrell said. “Since the party was founded, we have always defended the same values: peace, social justice, the environment, respect for diversity and a social safety net that leaves no one behind.”
A Campaign Focused on the Cost of Living and Public Services
Tyrrell devoted a significant part of his speech to the economic situation facing Quebecers, denouncing a system in which many people work full-time yet still struggle to afford housing, food, transportation and healthcare. He accused successive governments of prioritizing the interests of large corporations, landlords, speculators and monopolies at the expense of the middle class and people with lower incomes.
“Quebec is doing badly. Very badly. And yet Quebecers work hard. We get up every morning to work, study and take care of each other,” he said. “The Green Party of Quebec proposes putting ordinary citizens — the 99% — back at the heart of government action.”
Among its key proposals, the Green Party plans to reduce rents by 20% over four years and allow tenants to expropriate their landlords in order to transform their buildings into housing cooperatives. The party is also proposing a network of 250 publicly owned grocery stores backed by a public distribution chain stretching from farm to table, with the goals of lowering prices, supporting local production and reducing food waste. The PVQ also wants to make public transit fast, efficient and free wherever transit networks are available, while investing heavily in their expansion.
Protecting the Environment Instead of Financing Extractivism
The PVQ leader strongly criticized government efforts to revive extractive, oil and gas projects. He referred to his recent visit to Lac-des-Plages and Duhamel in the Outaouais, where a proposed graphite mine threatens, according to Tyrrell, a mountain, several lakes and a watershed.
“They want to sacrifice a mountain, three lakes and a watershed to make money,” he said, also pointing to the U.S. military’s investment in the project. He warned against a potential return of pipeline projects, shale gas development and oil drilling in Quebec.
Instead, the Green Party proposes significantly strengthening the Ministry of the Environment, reversing cuts that have weakened it and adopting framework legislation on access to water so that more Quebecers can enjoy lakes and rivers that are currently difficult to access because of the privatization of shorelines.
Defending Public Services, Diversity and Rights
Tyrrell also denounced the deterioration of Quebec’s healthcare and education systems, arguing that the state is “reneging on its social contract with the population.” He pointed to teacher shortages, emergency room wait times, a lack of spaces in long-term care facilities and inadequate home-care services.
The PVQ leader also criticized political discourse surrounding immigration and minorities, which he described as a distraction from economic problems. He accused certain media outlets and political parties of fuelling cultural divisions rather than addressing the cost of living and economic inequality.
Referring to revelations involving Montreal-North police officers who allegedly collected hair taken from Black men, Tyrrell called for public, external and independent investigations into police conduct. The Green Party is proposing a zero-tolerance policy toward racist behaviour in law enforcement and throughout public services.
“We do not have to accept racism, and unlike the others, we are not going to let it slide,” he said.
Putting Peace at the Heart of Green Politics
Foreign policy and disarmament will also play an important role in the Green Party’s election campaign. Tyrrell denounced increasing military spending and the proposal to establish a NATO-linked financial institution in Montreal. Instead, he called for military spending to be redirected toward housing and public services.
The PVQ is calling for weapons factories to be shut down, for Canada to leave NATO, for ties with the State of Israel to be severed and for Quebec to become a diplomatic voice focused on peace, environmental cooperation and ethical trade.
“We are the voice of peace and disarmament,” Tyrrell said. “We are here to represent everyone who is fed up with the bourgeoisie and with the deterioration of our environment and social services.”
Reconciliation, Housing and Democracy
Tyrrell also presented several other commitments from the party’s election platform, including free electricity for Indigenous people and their communities. He recalled a previous visit to the Anishinaabe community of Barriere Lake, where residents continue to live without a connection to the electrical grid despite the impacts of hydroelectric development on their ancestral territory.
The party is also proposing guaranteed access to affordable housing for women fleeing domestic violence, stronger measures to combat femicide and violence, a ban on secret lobbying and closed-door meetings between ministers and corporate executives, improvements to the healthcare system, renewed investment in education and reduced pesticide use.
“We Are More Than a Cute Little Green Party”
Concluding his campaign launch, Tyrrell emphasized the Green Party’s determination to run a campaign based on ideas rather than political personalities, while acknowledging the difficulties smaller parties face in obtaining media coverage and participating in major election debates.
“We are more than a cute little Green Party. We are the agents of change. We are the opposition to the status quo,” he said. “We are the party of peace, the working class and the middle class.”
With just over a month remaining before the October 5 provincial election, Tyrrell called on Quebecers who want to break with the status quo to support Green candidates across the province.
“Voting for the Green Party of Quebec is a powerful act that breaks with politics as usual. It is an act for the environment. It is an act for peace. It is an act for social justice,” Tyrrell concluded. “Every vote counts. Every political act against the system counts. Long live Quebec, long live the environment, long live social justice and long live peace.”
