Green Party of Quebec Leader Stuns Right-Wing Radio Host in Fiery On-Air Exchange

In a fiery and unexpected on-air confrontation, Alex Tyrrell, leader of the Green Party of Quebec, went head-to-head with one of Québec’s most controversial media personalities—Richard Martineau—on the conservative talk network QUB Radio. The result? A clear rhetorical victory for the young progressive leader and a viral moment for alternative media.

For those unfamiliar with Martineau, he is a long-time columnist for the tabloid-style Journal de Montréal and a daily fixture on QUB Radio, owned by the Québecor media empire. He is known for his caustic tone, populist rants, and frequent attacks on the political left, environmentalists, and pro-Palestinian voices. Think of him as a Québec-style blend of Tucker Carlson and Ezra Levant—minus the subtlety.

The spark that ignited the exchange came earlier this week, when Martineau took to social media claiming he had been “harassed” on the streets of Montreal by Yves Engler, a well-known Canadian anti-war activist. Engler had confronted Martineau outside a restaurant, asking him to explain his public silence on the Israeli military’s assault on Gaza. The incident, which was filmed, shows Martineau attempting to seize Engler’s phone and shouting back before leaving the scene.

Martineau was outraged—not by what happened in the video, but by the fact that Alex Tyrrell publicly defended Engler. When Martineau messaged Tyrrell to ask if he found the altercation amusing, Tyrrell responded bluntly:

“Yes, I found your reaction funny en tabernack. I’ve known Yves Engler for years. I appreciate his work and his tactics. We sometimes work together. He’s doing essential work. You should have just answered like a normal person instead of throwing a fit and pretending to be a victim of street journalism.”

Rather than avoiding the controversy, Tyrrell agreed to appear live on QUB Radio with Martineau. What followed was a rare moment in Canadian media: a leftist party leader calmly and systematically dismantling the rhetoric of a right-wing host on his own show.

“Yves Engler has written 13 books on Canadian foreign policy. He’s a prominent leftist voice in Montreal and across the country. The mainstream media won’t ask tough questions, especially on Gaza. So street journalism is sometimes the only way to hold public figures accountable,” Tyrrell said during the broadcast.

Martineau, visibly irritated, tried to paint Engler as dangerous and mentally unstable, even calling for his arrest and psychiatric evaluation on air.

“He should be locked up and evaluated before he does something crazy,” Martineau told listeners.
“Just filming someone should be a criminal offence.”

Tyrrell didn’t flinch

“You weren’t assaulted,” he reminded Martineau. “You grabbed his phone. You escalated. He asked you why you won’t condemn genocide in Gaza, and instead of answering, you played the victim.”

Martineau later attempted to smear Engler by citing a 2002 Journal de Montréalarticle that accused the activist of spreading Kremlin propaganda. Tyrrell brushed it off:

“That’s trash. Exactly the kind of garbage journalism that fuels these moral panics.”

By the end of the segment, Martineau was flustered. His usual dominance behind the microphone had been upended by a younger, sharper, more composed political adversary who refused to apologize for speaking truth to power—whether in the streets or in the studio.

For Alex Tyrrell and the Green Party of Quebec, it was more than just a viral moment. It was a clear assertion of principle: in the face of militarism, media hysteria, and censorship, the party will stand with those who speak out.

“I’m anti-war. I’m against all forms of violence. But asking a public figure a question on the street isn’t violence—it’s democracy,” Tyrrell said.