Federal Transport Minister Pablo Rodriguez is expected to resign from cabinet to seek the leadership of the Quebec Liberal Party.
A federal Liberal source, who was not authorized to speak publicly, confirmed the news to The Canadian Press.
It was first reported by La Presse.
Rodriguez, who is also Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s Quebec lieutenant, is expected to formally announce his decision Thursday in Gatineau.
The Minister of Procurement and MNA for the Quebec riding, Jean-Yves Duclos, could not hide the fact that Rodriguez ‘s departure creates a “void.” The news also comes just after a crushing defeat for the Liberals, who saw the Bloc Québécois snatch the seat of LaSalle-Émard-Verdun from them in a by-election.
“Whether it’s today, tomorrow or the day before yesterday, it doesn’t really matter,” said Duclos. “The fact is that he leaves a magnificent legacy for the Quebec region, an extraordinary support for the actors in my riding.”
According to him, Rodriguez ‘s decision had been made “some time ago” and was “well thought through”.
The president of the Quebec caucus of the federal Liberals, Stéphane Lauzon, echoed the same sentiment.
The MP nevertheless expressed his disappointment, shared by other Liberal elected officials who spoke to journalists on their way to their weekly caucus meeting on Parliament Hill in Ottawa.
“It’s definitely a big loss for the Quebec caucus,” said Lauzon, who represents voters in Argenteuil—La Petite-Nation, in Outaouais.
Veterans Affairs Minister Ginette Petitpas Taylor also admitted to being “disappointed” to see Rodriguez leave.
The co-president of the next Liberal campaign, Minister Soraya Martinez Ferrada, believes that the resigning minister was a “mentor in terms of political strategy” for her.
“It’s a political machine, Pablo.” Soraya Martinez denies that Rodriguez may have decided to leave a ship that is starting to take on water. She noted that the PLQ is not in a very good position at the moment.
“He’s going to go and rebuild something that’s, what, in fourth, fifth (place). I mean, it’s not out of opportunism that he’s going to do that,” she concluded.
The Quebec Liberals have been without a leader since Dominique Anglade resigned following her defeat in the 2022 provincial election.
This departure comes on top of the fact that several Liberal MPs have announced that they will not stand again in the next elections which could be called in the coming months.
Justin Trudeau’s troops must also deal with the loss of their campaign manager, Jeremy Broadhurst.
Rumours that Pablo Rodriguez would run for the Liberal leadership had been rife for several weeks. He seems to have chosen to wait until the by-election in LaSalle–Émard–Verdun takes place.
After the Liberal defeat in Toronto–St. Paul’s last June, the loss of their stronghold of LaSalle–Émard–Verdun is another blow for Justin Trudeau’s government, which is already largely battered in the polls.
Rodriguez’s choice to step down will be another blow for Trudeau, whose party is coming off the loss of the former Liberal stronghold of LaSalle–Émard–Verdun in a byelection in Montreal on Monday.
Even before entering the race, Pablo Rodriguez had received the support of provincial Liberal MP Désirée McGraw.