Federal Transport Minister Pablo Rodriguez is set to step down from cabinet this week to seek the leadership of the Liberal Party in Quebec.
Rodriguez will officially announce his cabinet resignation on Sept. 19 in Gatineau, Que, according to media reports. While no official confirmation has been issued by Prime Minister’s Office or the minister, Liberal cabinet ministers started acknowledging his departure in remarks to reporters on Sept. 18.
Rodriguez represents the Montreal-area riding of Honoré-Mercier and has served as transport minister since last summer’s cabinet shuffle. Rodriguez is also Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s Quebec lieutenant and acts as his main advisor and spokesperson on issues specific to the province.
News of Rodriguez’s upcoming resignation follows the Sept. 16 byelection victory for the Bloc Québécois in LaSalle-Émard-Verdun. The Montreal riding was known as a Liberal stronghold and has voted red for the better part of a century. It had been held for the past three elections by former justice minister and Liberal MP David Lametti, who announced his decision to step away from politics at the beginning of the year.
The Bloc’s Louis-Philippe Sauvé won this week’s byelection with 28 percent of the vote, narrowly defeating Liberal candidate Laura Palestini who took a 27.2 percent share.
Industry Minister François-Philippe Champagne addressed both the byelection loss and Rodriguez’s resignation at a Sept. 18 media scrum in Ottawa.
He said the Liberal Party needs to “double down” in its efforts to “win the trust of the people” in Quebec.
“Clearly, this is much bigger than any single individual,” Champagne said. “And Pablo has been serving Canada, has been serving the interest of the nation, has been Lieutenant, has … brought his vision, and I'll let him make his choice.”
Public Services Minister Jean-Yves Duclos described Rodriguez as a “great” contributor to Quebec.
“We’re very grateful for what he wants to do,” Duclos told reporters. “He now wants to take up new duties elsewhere and basically continue what he’s been doing at the Liberal Party and at the federal government for 20 years: work for the middle class and defend Canadians, improve inclusiveness.”
Rodriguez told reporters last month that he had been approached by “a lot of people” to go back to the Quebec Liberals where “it all started” for him years ago, but did not say if he was considering such a move. He was a member of the party’s youth wing in the 1990s.
“It’s a privilege and honour to be approached by so many people, but that’s my only comment,” Rodriguez said at an Aug. 8 press conference.
He refused to answer further questions about his potential candidacy.
Rodriguez’s Sept. 19 announcement will make him the fifth candidate to confirm his intentions to run in the 2025 Quebec Liberal Party leadership election. The candidates looking to replace former leader Dominique Anglade, include 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.
Rodriguez’s potential candidacy for the Quebec Liberal leadership has already received support from Quebec Liberal MNA Désirée McGraw.
Rodriguez’s move follows the resignations of other high-profile cabinet members. Seamus O'Regan’s announcement that he would be stepping down as Labour Minister as of July 19 and had no plans to run for his Newfoundland seat in the next federal election. He said he would stay on as an MP until that time.
