(Ottawa) Canada’s Minister of Transport and Justin Trudeau’s political lieutenant in Quebec, Pablo Rodriguez, will run for the leadership of the Quebec Liberal Party (PLQ).
Published at 9:39 a.m.
Updated at 10:23 a.m.
Mr. Rodriguez is expected to officially confirm his intentions Thursday morning at a press conference to be held in Gatineau, it has been learned The Press from several sources.
Mr. Rodriguez intends to resign from his position as Minister of Transport and his duties as political lieutenant this week to devote himself to the leadership race, according to our information. He is however expected to remain in office as the MNA for Honoré-Mercier for the time being.
In doing so, Mr. Rodriguez will become the fifth candidate to confirm his intentions to succeed Dominique Anglade. The other candidates are former federal minister and former mayor of Montreal Denis Coderre, former president of the Fédération des chambres de commerce du Québec Charles Milliard, PLQ MNA for Marguerite-Bourgeoys Frédéric Beauchemin, and Marc Bélanger, a tax lawyer from Matane.
According to our information, Mr. Rodriguez intends to play the card of the unifying leader during this leadership race that officially begins in January. He also intends to put forward his vast experience as a government minister. Before taking the helm of the Department of Transport, Mr. Rodriguez was successively government leader in the House and Minister of Heritage. His duties as political lieutenant called upon him to play a role of defender of Quebec’s interests within the Trudeau government and to ensure that good working relations were maintained between Ottawa and Quebec.
He will emphasize that he is a unifying leader who wants to build a Quebec for all. He will also emphasize that as a political lieutenant, he defended Quebec’s interests with all the strength he is known for during cabinet meetings and with his colleagues. This is an experience that will serve him well.
A liberal well aware of Pablo Rodriguez’s intentions
Before confirming his intentions, Mr. Rodriguez received the support of Notre-Dame-de-Grâce MP Désirée McGraw in the leadership race.
When he confirmed last month that he was considering running for the leadership of the PLQ, Mr. Rodriguez said that it would be a return to his roots for him.
“As Minister of Transport and Quebec lieutenant in Justin Trudeau’s government, I am proud to work hard for the good of Quebecers and all Canadians. I am sincerely touched by the many requests I have received to return to where it all began for me,” he said in a written statement, recalling that he had sat on the PLQ’s youth commission.
Mr. Rodriguez’s resignation from cabinet will force Prime Minister Justin Trudeau to reshuffle his cabinet and appoint a new person as Quebec’s political lieutenant with a federal election looming.
In Ottawa, the names of three ministers quickly emerged to take over from Mr. Rodriguez as lieutenant because of their communication skills, their political instincts and the regions they represent in the Commons: Industry Minister François-Philippe Champagne, Heritage Minister Pascale St-Onge, and Labour Minister Steven MacKinnon.
Mr. Rodriguez’s decision also comes days after Justin Trudeau’s Liberals suffered a tough defeat in the riding of LaSalle-Émard-Verdun on Monday night. The Bloc Québécois won in a tight three-way race.
Mr. Rodriguez’s departure has sparked many reactions. His cabinet colleague, Industry Minister François-Philippe Champagne, wished his “very, very, very close friend” the best of luck. He denied that Pablo Rodriguez’s departure was a symptom of a deep malaise within the federal Liberal troops. “Pablo has long considered himself serving the interests of Quebec; he did it here in Ottawa, he did it as Quebec’s lieutenant,” he argued.
Mr. Champagne himself had been the subject of intense pressure from PLQ activists to run for the party leadership and make the jump to the provincial scene. Mr. Champagne ruled out this option after a few weeks of reflection, maintaining that he still had a mission to accomplish in Ottawa.
With the collaboration of Mélanie Marquis, The Press
