The outgoing CEO of the Fédération des chambres de commerce du Québec, who announced Friday that he would be a candidate in the race for the leadership of the Quebec Liberal Party (PLQ), assured that he was running for “a 10-year project.” “I will definitely be there” in the 2026 election as well as in the 2023 election, carrying the PLQ colours in one way or another, he declared Saturday.
He was at the party’s Youth Commission convention in Montreal in the morning. The event, which marks the start of the political year in Quebec every year, this time allows future candidates in the leadership race to gauge their support among young members. Remember that the race to succeed Dominique Anglade is scheduled to take place from January to June 2025.
Mr. Millard has already consolidated several supporters among young activists. Last May, 81 of them signed an open letter to convince him “to run for the leadership of the Liberal Party.” On Saturday, at least a dozen participants, out of some 200 people present, gave him their full support.
Marguerite-Bourgeoys (LaSalle) MNA Frédéric Beauchemin, who has not yet made his candidacy official but has promised to make an announcement “soon,” was also accompanied by young supporters. Among them was the former president of the party’s youth wing, Lina Yunes, who left her position in July to work alongside him.
Denis Coderre was also at the convention, but remained vague about his support within the party. However, he reiterated that he would run as a candidate in Bellechasse, on the south shore of Quebec, in 2026, whether or not he is elected leader of the PLQ. “Don’t worry, [les libéraux] are “stuck” with me!” he said in a press scrum.
The former mayor of Montreal, twice defeated by Valérie Plante, welcomed the arrival of new candidates in the race. “It doesn’t change anything [pour moi] “, he said, before adding: “The important thing is to bring more young activists back to the party and to go out to meet voters.”
Pablo Rodriguez, the great absentee
One potential candidate was conspicuous by his absence: federal Transport Minister and Justin Trudeau’s Quebec lieutenant, Pablo Rodriguez. He has yet to confirm whether he plans to enter the race, but admitted last week that he was receiving “a lot of requests” from PLQ members to do so.
His daughter, a liberal activist, and his communications director were nevertheless on hand to “take the pulse” of the discussions about him, he said.
On Saturday, a handful of young activists also took part in a press scrum to defend Mr. Rodriguez’s candidacy. “There are several of us asking him to run for the leadership of the Quebec Liberal Party,” said Noah Lepage, one of them. Mr. Rodriguez’s name already resonates with young people and all Quebecers.”
Pablo Rodriguez is also the only candidate (potential or confirmed) to have obtained the support of an elected member of the National Assembly so far. It is his friend Désirée McGraw, MNA for Notre-Dame-de-Grâce. “If he runs, Pablo will obtain a lot of support within the PLQ,” she said. “He has an extraordinary track record and his story of political refugee turned MNA is inspiring.”
Other personalities, including Victoriaville Mayor Antoine Tardif and federal minister François-Philippe Champagne, are also considered for the leadership race, but have not confirmed their interest in running.
“We have a great year ahead of us,” assures Marc Tanguay, who has been interim party leader since Dominique Anglade left following the worst defeat in the party’s modern history. “My phone has been ringing off the hook,” he continues. “And the race will help relaunch the party.”
Young people are deserting the PLQ
The Liberal Party’s Youth Congress is all the more important this year because the number of young activists within the party is at a historic low. Some told The Canadian Press this week that there are only 350 young members left in good standing, whereas in the late 1990s, for example, there were about 10,000, according to The Canadian Press.
“The number of members will increase, especially among young people,” promised Marc Tanguay. “Gaining new members is the crux of the matter in preparation for the 2026 election. And it’s with the race and the enthusiasm that it will generate that we’ll get there.”
The PLQ leadership campaign officially begins next January. Candidates have until April 11 to submit their candidacy. The leadership convention will be held on June 14, 2025.