Quebec liberals have chosen former deputy Pablo Rodríguez as their next leader after voting on Saturday.
Rodríguez beat the opponent Charles Milliard in the second round taking 52.3 percent of the assigned points.
Speaking at the leadership convention in the city of Quebec, Rodríguez thanked the interim leader Marc Tanguay for maintaining the forte since Dominique Anglade resigned as leader in 2022. He called his new role in the “honor of a lifetime” and said that a new era is beginning for the party and the province of Quebec.
“We need to look to the future, to build tomorrow’s Quebec for our children and grandchildren,” Rodríguez said.
The electoral participation among the members, who have been broadcasting preferential ballots since Monday, reached 70 percent. The votes are weighed by driving and age, which means that there is pressure for candidates to appeal to the different regions and young people of Quebec.
In an X publication, Quebec François Legault prime minister congratulated Rodríguez for his victory, saying that he hoped to collaborate with him on issues that import for Quebers. He also said goodbye to Tanguay, saying that it was a pleasure to discuss with him.
The leader of Pari Québécois, Paul St-Pierre Plamondon, also congratulated Rodríguez to X, and added that Quebec is at a crossroads with respect to its future linguistic, cultural and financial and that the status quo is no longer acceptable.
Rodríguez ran on a platform to unify the party and make it more efficient to defeat the coalition of Legault Avenir Québec (CAQ) in the provincial elections of 2026.
The liberals suffered consecutive defeats against the CAQ in 2018 and 2022. The party has fought to connect with Francophone voters in regions outside Montreal, and has not been able to benefit from the decrease in Legault’s popularity in recent years.
On the other hand, the sovereign Pari Québécois has increased in the polls and seems to be ready to form the next government, despite having only five of the 125 seats in the provincial legislature.
Running against Rodríguez was Milliard, who is a pharmacist for training and the former head of the Quebec Chambers of Commerce. Captured 28.7 percent of the total points in the first round and 47.7 percent in the second.
MNA André Fortin, who supported Milliard and worked on his campaign, said he was disappointed by the loss, but the race made him hopeful for the future, adding that Rodriguez has “great energy” and a lot of experience in politics.
For Fortin, Milliard embodied the renewal that says the party needs.
“Our party needed a race, our group needed to revitalize,” he said.
“It seems that there is a constant energy this weekend here and now we only need to continue until the next elections.”
Karl Blackburn was just at least second in the first round. He represented Roberval in the National Assembly from 2003 to 2007 under the liberals of Jean Charest. He is also the former president of a group of Quebec employers, the Conseil du Patronat du Québec.
Speaking after he was eliminated from the race, Blackburn said the new leader will have the “colossal” tasks of gathering the party and bringing it to the regions. He said he would like to run in the next elections and turn the robber who travels to the liberals from the CAQ.
At the end of the first round, international trade lawyer Marc Bélanger arrived in fourth place and Mario Roy, economist and farmer, in fifth.
Rodríguez was first chosen for the House of Commons in 2004, representing Honoré-Mercier in Montreal. As part of the government of former Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, he held several ministerial roles in the cabinet, including the Minister of Transportation more recently.
Rodríguez left the cabinet and began to sit at home as an independent deputy in September 2024, after announcing that he was turning to provincial politics and throwing his hat to the leadership career of the Liberals of Quebec.
