The specter of another referendum on Quebec sovereignty was mentioned among the reasons that pushed federal MP Pablo Rodriguez to leave the Trudeau government to officially launch himself into the race for the leadership of the Quebec Liberal Party (PLQ) on Thursday.
“I am certain that François Legault’s Quebec, with its divisive policies, does not resemble Quebec, does not bring Quebec together. I also have the deep conviction […] that a referendum is neither desired by Quebecers nor desirable,” explained the federal Liberal MP for Honoré-Mercier, during a press briefing attended by journalists.
Pablo Rodriguez had arranged to meet the press in front of the statue of Maurice Richard, in Gatineau, located in the first few metres of Quebec territory leaving Ottawa. The politician, first elected federally in 2004, had made the journey from Parliament Hill on foot, accompanied by his partner, Roxanne, and his daughter Béatrice.
He confirmed what everyone has known for several days, that is, that he officially becomes the fifth aspirant to succeed Dominique Anglade, at the provincial level. He added that he intends to sit until January in the Ottawa Parliament in order to save on a new by-election, shortly before the next general election.
His role as Quebec lieutenant to the Prime Minister was entrusted Thursday to the Minister of Public Services and Procurement of Canada, Jean-Yves Duclos, confirmed The Duty.
The announcement of Pablo Rodriguez’s departure from the Liberal Party of Canada (LPC) comes as he has just lost a seat in Monday’s by-election in the riding of LaSalle-Émard-Verdun, to the Bloc Québécois. This riding was until now considered a Liberal stronghold.
Avoid a referendum
Pablo Rodriguez presented his life story, having fled the dictatorship in Argentina as a child to settle in Quebec, where he was “welcomed with a very local openness.” A child of Bill 101, he says he learned French by playing hockey, and began to get involved in politics, first in the Quebec Liberal Party in the 1990s. At the time, he was motivated by the announced second referendum campaign, when in his eyes, “Canada without Quebec would be completely distorted.”
Mr. Rodriguez presents his career as that of a politician who is returning “to his roots” within the PLQ. His return to the Quebec side, illustrated by his crossing of the Alexandra Bridge between Ottawa and Gatineau, is notably motivated by the promise of the Parti Québécois to organize a referendum in its first mandate.
“I was a spokesperson for the youth for the NO. It was rough. It was divisive. There are people today, friends, that I no longer speak to. I don’t think Quebec wants to repeat that again.”
The politician turned independent “does not deny” his time in the Trudeau government. Having been House leader, heritage minister, transport minister and Quebec lieutenant of the LPC was “the honour of a lifetime.” He did not reveal his plan for public finances, among other things, reserving those details for a future announcement.
Not a branch
Pablo Rodriguez ridiculed the criticism that his presence in the PLQ confirms that this party has become “a branch” of the Liberal Party of Canada. The formula was used in particular by the CAQ minister Simon Jolin-Barrette, but another aspiring leader of the PLQ, Charles Milliard, also made similar comments.
“We send some of our most combative, strongest representatives here to Ottawa, from all parties. And these people come here to fight for a better, stronger Quebec within the Canadian federation. Sometimes they win battles, sometimes they lose. And when they return home, we tell them: ‘oh no, you can’t come back because you were in Ottawa’? That makes no sense.”
Other announced candidates include former Montreal mayor Denis Coderre, former president and CEO of the Quebec Federation of Chambers of Commerce Charles Milliard, tax lawyer Marc Bélanger and Liberal provincial MNA Frédéric Beauchemin. Pablo Rodriguez already has the support of Liberal provincial MNA Désirée McGraw.
The race officially begins in January 2025. The new Liberal leader will be chosen in the summer of that year.
With The Canadian Press