Charles Milliard

Charles Milliard (; born September 10, 1979) is a Canadian politician, businessman, and pharmacist who has served as the leader of the Quebec Liberal Party since 2026. He was the president of the (FCCQ) from 2020 to 2024.

Early life and education Charles Milliard was born in Lévis in the Chaudière-Appalaches region to a carpenter-joiner father and a French teacher mother, who later became a high school principal, both from Kamouraska in the Bas-Saint-Laurent. He has a brother, who is a pharmacist in the Mauricie region. He was the president of the Canadian Pharmacy Students' Association. He was seen on the show Deux filles le matin, presenting a segment on medications.

Between 2017 and 2019, he held various positions, including vice president of the public relations firm National Public Relations. He was then responsible for provincial, national and international mandates related to the health sector.

Millard was also on the board of directors of Festival de Lanaudière and Festival TransAmériques.

Following the 2025 leadership campaign, Milliard accepted a position at Bishop's University's Williams School of Business for the fall 2025 term.

Political career When Milliard was eighteen, he started to become involved with the Quebec Liberal Party (PLQ). From 1997 to 2000, he was also involved with the Progressive Conservatives Youth Federation. In 2024, Milliard was approached by the Liberal Party of Canada to be their candidate in the 2024 LaSalle–Émard–Verdun federal by-election.

In 2024, Milliard declared his candidacy for the 2025 Quebec Liberal Party leadership election on LinkedIn. He stood against former federal Minister of Transport Pablo Rodriguez, who was the front runner, Marc Bélanger, Karl Blackburn and Mario Roy. Milliard ran on generational renewal and focused his platform on the issues of the economy, education, health and transportation. He stated that political vision around engagement should be inspirational not hostile. Milliard was defeated by Rodriguez with a narrow margin of roughly 52% to 48% in the second round. He was acclaimed as party leader on February 13, 2026, after no other candidates qualified to be on the ballot.

Leader of the Quebec Liberal Party In his first speech since being acclaimed as leader of the party, Milliard established his five priorities which were the economy, public services, access to housing, the regions and culture.

Views Milliard stated that he supports federalism but considered himself a Quebec nationalist in the vein of former Quebec premier Robert Bourassa. He also mentioned that his politics would be modelled after a version of the defunct Progressive Conservative Party of Canada. He also opposed raising personal taxes. Milliard advocated for the dismantlement of interprovincial and international trade barriers. During a speech made at the Chamber of Commerce of Metropolitan Montreal, Milliard advocated for the renovation and modernization of the Montreal metro and restoration of Quebec's reputation as an economic leader by creating a favorable business environment for the implementation of economic projects and reduction of subsidies for large corporations.

Social issues During the 2025 leadership race, Milliard stated that he does not consider himself as part of the social right. He also stated that there should be an interest for Canada to work together. He advocated for decentralization in Quebec and the empowerment of its municipalities.'''

Linguistic rights and culture During the 2025 leadership race, Milliard emphasized that the party should reestablish its relationship with the anglophone community by arguing that the party took them for granted by not viewing the community as part of Quebec identity. He rejected the CAQ premise that being against Bill 96, which he believes should be modified, means being against the promotion and protection of French in Quebec.

In 2023, as head of the federation, Milliard viewed culture as a tool to drive regional economic development. In 2026, he also views it as a tool to integrate immigrants into Quebec society. He warned that people consumed culture through international digital platforms but expressed support for developing polices that would allow Quebec artists to become popular internationally, like Céline Dion. He has suggested modifying the list of acts reserved for different professions, to increase the use of nurses, pharmacists, psychologists and physiotherapists. In addition, he proposed the creation of a professional order for teachers to receive standardized training.

Environment and housing In January 2022, as head of the federation, Milliard supported the fight against urban sprawl. After being acclaimed as the leader of the party, he stated that he would aim to make Quebec a leader in green innovation and sustainable mobility.

During the 2025 leadership race, Milliard proposed passing a new bill stating that interculturalism should be the official integration model in Quebec. During his time with the FCCQ, he lived in Montreal but moved to North Hatley, Quebec in 2024. Milliard is openly gay and has been living with his partner, Simon Dessureault Dallaire, since 2022.