A Quebec Liberal candidate has been dropped from the party after controversial social media comments he made about the Parti Québécois (PQ) and its leader, Paul St. Pierre Plamondon, have come to light.
Actor Michel Savard said his comments on social media were “unacceptable” and an example of the culture of “confrontation that poisons social media.”
A screenshot of his remarks from Feb. 7 commenting on a post from Pierre-Luc Brillant shows that he called the PQ “a far-right aberration” under St. Pierre Plamondon, whom he described as “a hateful, megalomaniacal individual.” He also called PQ followers “small-time, insignificant Nazis,” directing the comment to Brillant and his girlfriend.
The Montreal talk radio station 98.5 FM first reported on the controversial Facebook post.
In a statement Wednesday afternoon, the Quebec Liberal Party (PLQ) said, “Additional past comments made by Michel Savard were brought to our attention within the last hour. After reassessing the situation, we concluded that it was no longer possible to maintain his candidacy.”
The party said he will no longer be a candidate for the Gouin riding in Montreal.
“This decision reflects our commitment to upholding high standards of respect in public debate and our firm opposition to all forms of verbal abuse,” the PLQ said.
The decision comes hours after Savard offered his apologies on his Facebook account to the PQ leader, Brillant, who is also an actor, and his partner.
“Regardless of our political disagreements, nothing justified my targeting them with remarks of this nature. I offer them my sincere apologies,” reads a post on Savard’s account.
Savard, 51, said that over the past year he has reflected on his approach to debating issues on social media and has changed how he expresses himself online.
“I’ve come to understand that we don’t advance any ideas by attributing the worst intentions to others or by reducing them to labels. Democratic debates can be firm without becoming contemptuous,” he wrote.
Savard did not respond to a request for comment on Wednesday and his Facebook account appears to have been deleted. He announced his candidacy on July 17 ahead of the Oct. 5 provincial election.
Savard is known for his acting roles in the TV Series STAT, Distinct Society, and others.
Gouin is currently held by Québec Solidaire’s Gabriel Nadeau Dubois, the party’s former co-spokesperson, who won nearly 60 per cent of the vote in the last election with 17,283 votes. The Liberal candidate, Rita Ikhouane, came in fourth place with just 2,444 votes.
Nadeau Dubois announced in 2025 that he would not seek re-election.
