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Montreal Gazette
16-06-2025
- Politics
- Montreal Gazette
Analysis: New Quebec Liberal leader Pablo Rodriguez has his work cut out for him
Quebec Politics By QUEBEC — Now comes the hard part. In winning the Quebec Liberal leadership Saturday in the second round of voting, with 52.3 per cent of the vote versus runner-up Charles Milliard's 47.7 per cent, Pablo Rodriguez takes on the stewardship of Quebec's oldest political party, which was founded in 1867 and has governed Quebec for much of its contemporary history. Today that party is at a crossroads — a victim of Quebec's multi-party system, which has muddled the voting patterns from the days when the Liberals thrived by selling themselves as a mixture of economic stability and a bulwark against referendums on independence. After losing the 2018 general election to the Coalition Avenir Québec — which promised a third option beyond federalism and sovereignty, based on economic growth and nationalism — the Liberals did worse in 2022, earning less than 15 per cent of the vote and a mere 21 seats. Without the support of non-francophone minority voters in the Montreal region, which helped the party earn more seats, the Liberals today would not have the title of the official opposition in the National Assembly. Enter Rodriguez, a former federal cabinet minister from the Justin Trudeau years. In electing Rodriguez as leader Saturday over the other candidates in the race, the Liberals decided he is the one to end their long walk in the political hinterland. They believed his promise of a return to power. Throughout the long leadership race, he reminded them that he was the only one of the five candidates with extensive political experience, as a former transport and Canadian heritage minister and political organizer. He was also Trudeau's Quebec lieutenant from 2019 to 2024. And Rodriguez didn't hesitate to mention he was better known than the other candidates, highlighting a Léger poll from May showing the Liberals under his leadership would come out ahead of the soaring Parti Québécois and drooping CAQ. 'Becoming leader of the Quebec Liberals is an incredible honour,' Rodriguez, 57, said in his victory speech Saturday. 'It's the honour of a lifetime. 'One race has ended today and another (the 2026 election) starts right away. Are you ready?' But what lies ahead for Rodriguez in the short and long term? For one thing, he has to quickly get a better grasp of how the Quebec government works. Far off in Ottawa, federal politicians rarely have to address the details of how health and education services are delivered to the people, sticking to big-picture policies. Rodriguez will be facing seasoned politicians like Premier François Legault, Parti Québécois Leader Paul St-Pierre Plamondon and Québec solidaire co-spokesperson Ruba Ghazal, all of whom have a much firmer grasp on these issues and are ready to skewer the newbie when he trips up. His federal Liberal roots will make him an easy target, and they won't hesitate to portray his arrival as a federal takeover of the Quebec Liberal 'branch plant.' 'I'm my own man and will be judged on my own decisions, my team, my program,' Rodriguez responded Saturday to reporters. There is also the matter of a seat in the Quebec legislature. Rodriguez does not have one. That will limit his media visibility and ability to impose his leadership on the 19-member Liberal caucus. Participating in the cut and thrust of daily question period — something he can't do without a seat — is good practice for those televised election campaign debates he will face in the 2026 election. There were rumours flying at the Liberal convention Saturday that Rodriguez would ask St-Laurent MNA Marwah Rizqy, who has announced she will not run in 2026, to leave earlier and free up a riding. But Rodriguez does not appear to be in a hurry to get into the legislature. The advantage of staying away for now is he will have time to rebuild the party in the regions, which is key to shoring up support with francophone voters. In the last two elections, francophone voters turned to the CAQ. They decide who gets elected in Quebec because they dominate the vote in most of the 125 ridings. In the May Léger poll, the Liberals were polling at 10 per cent in this voting group. 'The Liberals need to reconnect with francophone voters,' Université Laval political science professor Éric Montigny said in an interview. 'That implies (the party) renewing itself with a certain nationalism without alienating its current base. 'It also needs to beef up its economic credo and propose audacious ideas. In a multi-party system, it can no longer count on the fear of the PQ to get itself elected.' The Liberals undertook just such a reboot after the 2022 election, led by former senator André Pratte and Bourassa-Sauvé MNA Madwa-Nika Cadet. The party approved a new program that, among other things, called for the drafting of a Quebec constitution to defend Quebec's interests in the federation. Seen as an effort to shore up nationalist votes, none of the candidates in the leadership race aside from Mario Roy said a Quebec constitution would be a priority for them. The challenge is great, the landscape ever shifting. In recent weeks, Legault himself has been adjusting his message to counter the surging PQ, which, for the moment, represents a greater threat to him than the Liberals. Aligning himself with Prime Minister Mark Carney, Legault has been saying only a CAQ government can protect the Quebec economy from U.S. tariffs, and that means working closely with the federal government — something the PQ is not interested in doing. Stopping short of calling himself a federalist, Legault said the PQ's plan to hold another referendum on sovereignty could not come at a worse time. 'Imagine if Paul St-Pierre Plamondon was in my place tomorrow morning,' Legault told Radio-Canada as the legislature recessed for the summer on June 6. 'He only wants to demonstrate that Canada does not work.' Rodriguez will have to find a way to counter Legault's scheme, which taps into the Liberals' federalist bread and butter. Some veteran Liberals remain optimistic about the party's brand despite its poor performance in recent years. A key argument rests on the party's ability to create a bigger tent than the CAQ or PQ can, they say. 'Quebecers are thirsty for leadership — a leadership that is not one of turning inwards,' former premier Jean Charest told Liberals in a speech Saturday. 'Quebecers want us to reconnect with all of Quebec, whether you live in Montreal or the regions, whether you speak English or French. 'More than ever, what we need is to be together.' 'There's a change in the political dynamic that leaves room for the Liberal party,' former premier Philippe Couillard said Saturday in an interview at the leadership convention. 'There have been highs and lows (for the party historically). We have always come through them.'
Edmonton Journal
15-06-2025
- Business
- Edmonton Journal
Former Justin Trudeau cabinet minister Pablo Rodriquez wins Quebec Liberal leadership
Article content The Quebec Liberals have chosen longtime federal politician Pablo Rodriguez to lead the provincial party on Saturday and to carry it into the October 2026 provincial election. The ex-federal Liberal cabinet minister won the party's leadership contest Saturday after two rounds of voting, beating out Charles Milliard, former head of the Federation of Quebec Chambers of Commerce with just over 52 per cent of votes cast.
National Post
15-06-2025
- Business
- National Post
Former Justin Trudeau cabinet minister Pablo Rodriquez wins Quebec Liberal leadership
The Quebec Liberals have chosen longtime federal politician Pablo Rodriguez to lead the provincial party on Saturday and to carry it into the October 2026 provincial election. Article content The ex-federal Liberal cabinet minister won the party's leadership contest Saturday after two rounds of voting, beating out Charles Milliard, former head of the Federation of Quebec Chambers of Commerce with just over 52 per cent of votes cast. Article content Article content Article content The three other candidates vying for the top job — Karl Blackburn, former president of a Quebec employers group; Marc Belanger, an international trade lawyer; and Mario Roy, an economist and farmer — were eliminated after a first round after no one received 50 per cent. Article content Article content Rodriguez, 57, told party faithful at a leadership convention in the provincial capital it was time to come together as Liberals and write a new chapter for the party. He preached unity, inviting all members of caucus on stage with him. Article content 'No matter who you supported, we're all together today, united,' he said. Article content He said those fellow leadership candidates would be key to the future and notably singled out Milliard, 46, who was among the favourites. Milliard and Blackburn have already committed to running in the next election, while Belanger intends to run in western Quebec. Article content 'I'm going to talk with the other candidates, it's extremely important to meet with the different teams because we're all part of the same party, the same team, with the same goal of forming a government in 2026.' Article content Article content Article content Born in Argentina, Rodriguez arrived in Quebec at eight years old. He grew up in Sherbrooke and served as a federal Liberal MP for the Montreal riding of Honore-Mercier. Article content He notably served as Minister of Canadian Heritage and Minister of Transport under Justin Trudeau. Article content He brushed off the notion his opponents would try paint him as being an extension of the federal party. Article content 'I'm my own man and I will be judged on my own decisions, my own team, my platform,' Rodriguez said. 'I don't control what they do, but what we're going to do is be ready.' Article content Rodriguez, who does not have a seat in the national assembly, will have to rebuild the party in the next 16 months if it is to have a chance of forming government.
CTV News
14-06-2025
- Business
- CTV News
Quebec Liberals elect Pablo Rodriguez as new party leader
Quebec Liberal Party leadership candidate Pablo Rodriguez gives remarks during the Quebec Liberal Party French-language leadership debate in Laval, Que., on Saturday, May 3, 2025. (Christopher Katsarov/The Canadian Press) The Quebec Liberals have chosen former federal cabinet minister Pablo Rodriguez to lead the party. The former federal cabinet minister won with 52 per cent of votes cast, beating out Charles Milliard, former head of the federation of Quebec chambers of commerce, in a second round of voting. The results were announced at a convention in the provincial capital this afternoon. More to come This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 14, 2025.
CTV News
14-06-2025
- Politics
- CTV News
Quebec Liberals to elect new leader at convention in provincial capital
Quebec Liberal Party leadership candidates, from left, Marc Bélanger, Mario Roy, Charles Milliard, Pablo Rodriguez and Karl Blackburn pose for a photograph following the Quebec Liberal Party French-language leadership debate in Laval, Que., Saturday, May 3, 2025. (The Canadian Press/Christopher Katsarov) The Quebec Liberal Party will choose its new leader today at a convention in the provincial capital. Five candidates are vying for the party's leadership, none of whom currently hold a seat in the provincial legislature. The frontrunners are Pablo Rodriguez, a former federal minister, Karl Blackburn, former president of a Quebec employers group, and Charles Milliard, former head of the federation of Quebec chambers of commerce. The party is hoping to make a comeback after suffering two crushing defeats in the 2018 and 2022 elections. The Liberals are now trying to reconnect with francophone voters outside Montreal in the hopes of forming government in the next election, set for October 2026. The new leader, to be elected by the party's roughly 20,000 members, will be announced later this afternoon in Quebec City. This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 14, 2025.
