Former Trudeau government minister Pablo Rodriguez, who left the federal caucus to enter the race for leadership of the Quebec Liberal Party, is seen as “the prime minister that Quebec needs” by several former ministers and provincial Liberal deputies as well as numerous members of the youth wing of the PLQ.
• Also read: The “effect” Pablo Rodriguez announces a whole new political contest
In a letter signed by 40 players in the political world, they express their support for the current MP for the federal riding of Honoré-Mercier.
Among the signatories, we find former ministers in the Couillard government Luc Fortin, Martin Coiteux and Robert Poëti and the current Liberal MP for Notre-Dame-de-Grâce Désirée McGraw. We also observe the signatures of Sam Elkas and Albert Khelfa, respectively minister and deputy under Robert Bourassa, as well as Camille Picard, deputy under Claude Ryan. Robert Bourassa’s former chief of staff, Rémi Bujold, also supports Pablo Rodriguez.
The list of signatories also includes numerous members of the PLQ Youth Commission, presidents of regional liberal associations and the president of the 2024 PLQ Youth Congress, Amanda Fakihi.
According to them, Mr. Rodriguez is the right man to rectify the situation in Quebec.
“It is clear, after six years, that with François Legault and the CAQ government, the situation has gotten worse. We have less access to a doctor, there is a lack of teachers in our schools and daycare places, Quebec households are pessimistic about their future and are worried about climate change, there is a lack of housing throughout Quebec, and the government cut in francization,” they write.
“Experienced leader” and “man of values”
The signatories of the letter maintain that Pablo Rodriguez is an “experienced leader, who embodies liberal values and who knows how to win.”
They believe that he will be able to follow in the footsteps of Jean Lesage, Lucien Bouchard and Jean Charest, who also worked at the federal level before making the jump to the provincial level.
They believe that Mr. Rodriguez embodies many values that are dear to the PLQ, such as respect for individual freedoms, economic development and Canadian belonging. We praise his listening skills and his political experience.
“Pablo Rodriguez is the prime minister that Quebec needs, and it is for this reason that he will be able to count on our support in the race for the leadership of the PLQ which will begin next January,” concludes the letter.
Here is the full letter:
Pablo Rodriguez is the prime minister Quebec needs
The fate of Quebec matters greatly to us.
Quebec faces significant challenges in health, education, the economy, immigration, culture and housing, in particular.
It is clear, after six years, that with François Legault and the CAQ government, the situation has gotten worse. We have less access to a doctor, there is a lack of teachers in our schools and daycare places, Quebec households are pessimistic about their future and are worried about climate change, there is a lack of housing throughout Quebec, and the government cut in francization.
At the Liberal Party of Quebec, we need a leader who will win the hearts, respect and trust of Quebecers. The question we must ask ourselves is this: who is ready to become premier of Quebec?
With two years until the election, we need an experienced leader who embodies liberal values and knows how to win. We believe that this leader is Pablo Rodriguez. He will thus follow the paths traced by prime ministers Jean Lesage, Lucien Bouchard and Jean Charest, who began their careers in Ottawa, then chose Quebec.
A man of values
For more than 150 years, the PLQ has been a party guided by deep and universal values, which live in the hearts of Quebecers: respect for individual freedoms, identification with Quebec, economic development, social justice, respect for civil society, the importance of democracy, Canadian belonging, intergenerational equity, environmental protection and the fight against climate change. Pablo Rodriguez embodies and defends these values with integrity and passion since the beginning of his political involvement. A guy from Sherbrooke, close to the people, the Rodriguez family arrived in Quebec as political refugees in 1974. Not speaking a word of French, it was while playing hockey on the ice rinks of Sherbrooke that a young Pablo Rodriguez became is integrated into Quebec culture. Sherbrooke is his “home”. For 20 years, he has traveled across Quebec. He has friends all over Quebec and wherever he goes, people affectionately call him Pablo because he listens to people.
An experienced leader
The PLQ needs an experienced person who has proven himself. It was in the wake of the constitutional debates that Pablo Rodriguez decided to stand up to defend Quebec and Quebec’s membership in the federation. This is how it is
became the young vice-president of the county of Crémazie and member of the executive
national of the Youth Commission of the PLQ. Since then, he has never given up.
In 2015, 2019 and 2021, Pablo Rodriguez led three electoral campaigns in
Quebec and in each election, he delivered the greatest number of votes and deputies
of all parties. This achievement deserves to be highlighted.
Let us remember that he was Minister of Heritage, Minister of Transport and
lieutenant for Quebec. He delivered important victories for Quebec: the
recognition of the Davie shipyard in Lévis; high speed operation for
that our regions are finally connected; agreements to create more
housing.
In 2026, Quebecers will have to make a choice. We have a meeting
important to history. Pablo Rodriguez is the prime minister whose Quebec has
need, and it is for this reason that he will be able to count on our support in the race
to the leadership of the PLQ which will begin next January.
Signatories:
Luc Fortin, co-president of Pablo Rodriguez’s leadership campaign and
minister in the government of Philippe Couillard;
Désirée McGraw, Liberal MP for Notre-Dame-de-Grâce;
Martin Coiteux, minister in Philippe Couillard’s government;
Sam Elkas, minister in Robert Bourassa’s government;
Robert Poëti, minister in Philippe Couillard’s government;
Guy Hardy, deputy under Philippe Couillard;
Albert Khelfa, deputy under Robert Bourassa;
Camille Picard, deputy under Claude Ryan;
Jean-Christophe Armstrong, member of the PLQ Youth Commission;
Omar Berri, president of the Charlesbourg liberal association;
Ylan Berri, member of the PLQ Youth Commission;
Patrick Boissonneault, president of the Marquette liberal association;
Sophie Boulos, member of the PLQ Youth Commission;
Charles Breton, member of the PLQ Youth Commission;
Rémi Bujold, chief of staff to Robert Bourassa;
Denise Caron, president of the Granby liberal association;
Nicolas Chevrette, member of the PLQ Youth Commission;
Christian Cyr, regional president of Gaspésie–Les Îles and of the liberal association
of Bonaventure;
Mazen El-Khansa, member of the PLQ Youth Commission;
Amanda Fakihi, president of the PLQ Youth Congress 2024;
André Junior Florestal, president of the liberal association of Argenteuil;
Jacqueline Fortier, president of the Sherbrooke liberal association;
Chantale Gagnon, president of the Anjou-Louis-Riel liberal association;
Nicolas Gosselin, member of the PLQ Youth Commission;
Elliott Grondin, member of the PLQ Youth Commission;
Sandrine Grondin, member of the PLQ Youth Commission;
Joe Haddad, member of the PLQ Youth Commission;
Maya Janbayne, member of the PLQ Youth Commission;
Ambrose Samwel Kibos, president of the liberal association of Mégantic;
Chris Koutsaris, president of the Laurier-Dorion liberal association;
Xavier Lacroix, member of the PLQ Youth Commission;
Michel Larochelle, president of the liberal association of Saint-François;
Noah Lepage, regional president of the Youth Commission for Montérégie-
West;
Estelle Regina Lokrou, president of the liberal association of Rousseau;
Justin Ménard, member of the PLQ Youth Commission;
Nicolas Ouimet, president of the liberal association of Gouin;
Charles Poulin, candidate in Saint-François, Philippe Couillard team;
Emily Thom, member of the PLQ Youth Commission;
Amélie Turgeon, member of the PLQ Youth Commission;
Donna Varrica, president of the liberal association of Notre-Dame-de-Grâce.