The candidate for leadership of the Liberal Party of Quebec (PLQ) Pablo Rodriguez received several new supports on Friday, including former ministers of the Couillard and Bourassa governments.
Posted at 9:58 a.m.
A letter of support, of which The Canadian Press obtained a copy, is signed by forty people, including ministers Martin Coiteux, Luc Fortin and Robert Poëti, who worked in the government of Philippe Couillard.
Sam Elkas, former Minister of Public Security and Transport under Robert Bourassa, is also one of the signatories.
The current MP for Notre-Dame-de-Grâce, Desirée McGraw, who had already announced her support for Mr. Rodriguez, also signed the letter.
In their missive, the activists emphasize that the party needs a leader “experienced, who embodies liberal values and who knows how to win”.
They believe that this leader is Pablo Rodriguez, who, they say, will follow in the footsteps of Jean Lesage, Lucien Bouchard and Jean Charest, former prime ministers who made their careers in Ottawa before leading Quebec.
“In 2015, 2019 and 2021, Pablo Rodriguez led three electoral campaigns in Quebec and in each election, he delivered the largest number of votes and deputies of all parties. This achievement deserves to be highlighted,” they argue.
They also affirm that Mr. Rodriguez has enabled several advances for Quebec as federal minister, including the file of the Davie shipyard in Lévis, which was included in the National Shipbuilding Strategy in 2023.
In 2026, Quebecers will have to make a choice. We have an important appointment with history. Pablo Rodriguez is the prime minister that Quebec needs.
Excerpt from the letter
The letter was also signed by several young liberal members of the PLQ Youth Commission. The Liberals are meeting in Lévis at the end of the week to debate the weight of the 16-25 in the choice of the new Liberal leader.
Mr. Rodriguez is competing against several other candidates in the race for party leadership, including Liberal MP Frédéric Beauchemin and former President and CEO of the Fédération des Chambres de Commerce du Québec Charles Milliard — who also have support within the Liberal caucus.
The two other declared candidates, former Montreal mayor Denis Coderre and tax lawyer Marc Bélanger, still have no support within the caucus.
The leadership race officially begins in January 2025. The new party leader will be chosen in the summer of that same year.
