Latest news with #PabloRodriguez
Montreal Gazette
11 hours ago
- Politics
- Montreal Gazette
Libman: Quebec Liberals gamble on Rodriguez. Will voters?
Did Quebec Liberals shoot themselves in the foot last weekend? Pablo Rodriguez, a former MP and minister under Justin Trudeau, narrowly won the leadership of the provincial party over pharmacist and former head of the Fédération des chambres de commerce du Québec, Charles Milliard. The Liberals face an uphill challenge. To win next year's election, they must wrestle back the support of francophone voters who make up 80 per cent of the electorate. For the past several years, francophone support has been languishing at or below 10 per cent. The Liberals are largely the default party for non-francophones concentrated primarily in the Montreal area. Montreal Island and Laval, however, comprise only 33 of 125 ridings. As the Coalition Avenir Québec and Parti Québécois have shown, you can win elections without Montreal, but you can't win without the overwhelmingly francophone regions covering the rest of Quebec. Rodriguez came to Quebec as a refugee from Argentina at eight years old, not speaking French or English. He became involved politically in the provincial Liberal youth wing before jumping to federal politics. He is affable and a good organizer with political experience who knows how to say the right things. Is that the right recipe, though, to save the Liberals? According to polls, most voters crave change from the CAQ government, and with the Liberals in limbo, had been parking their votes with the PQ — despite a commitment by its leader to hold a sovereignty referendum most Quebecers don't want. Rodriguez will undoubtedly hammer away at the PQ's referendum pledge as adding more uncertainty in an uncertain world. And when asked how he will win over the regions, he duly responds that all Quebecers want good government. More than rhetoric, though, he will need to start showing some substance on major issues, particularly the economy, health care and education — areas of failure by the existing government. His campaign website has several broad commitments but is short on specifics. Rodriguez's challenge, however, may go beyond just that. In the history of Quebec, only one premier — French-born Henri-Gustave Joly de Lotbinière (1878-'79) — wasn't born in the province (though René Lévesque was born in a hospital in Campbellton, N.B., across the bay from his Quebec home in New Carlisle.) Electoral politics, like it or not, often includes an element of voting for someone with whom you identify — linguistically, culturally, ethnically. In Quebec's regions, where the population is much less diverse and typically more nationalistic, a native son could articulate immigration or economic policies, for example, without the message's focus being potentially blurred by their roots or nationality or mother-tongue. On language issues, Rodriguez has recently been criticizing the CAQ government's actions as divisive, saying he would modify Bill 96 by eliminating two irritants — the search and seizure provisions and six-month grace period for immigrants to receive government services in English. He also promises to reverse tuition hikes that penalize English universities, and he opposes the pre-emptive use of the notwithstanding clause. But as he inevitably faces pressure to solidify his pro-Quebec credentials or acknowledge 'the decline of French,' will the standard recoil reflex to throw anglophones under the bus kick in? He certainly didn't object to Bill 96 as Trudeau's Quebec Lieutenant, and he supported the Official Languages Act revision (C-13) that compromises minority-language protections for Quebec anglophones. Rodriguez beat other strong leadership candidates, but many party members may have supported him based on a Léger poll showing the Liberals under his direction had the best chance of rivalling the PQ. However, that poll may have been skewed by the name-recognition effect at the time. Any new leader, once chosen, inevitably grows in stature. Few Canadians knew Mark Carney a year ago. Rodriguez has positive attributes and a compelling life story. In choosing him, though, Liberals are challenging history — and gambling that Quebec voters are prepared to do the same.
CTV News
2 days ago
- Politics
- CTV News
Marie-Claude Nichols officially back in the Quebec Liberal caucus
Independent MNA Marie-Claude Nichols, who was expelled from the Quebec Liberal Party caucus by former leader Dominique Anglade in 2022, signs a new membership card at the invitation of leadership candidate Pablo Rodriguez, at the party's headquarters in Montreal, Friday, May 2, 2025. (Pierre Saint-Arnaud/The Canadian Press)
Montreal Gazette
4 days ago
- Politics
- Montreal Gazette
Poll shows Quebec Liberals second under new leader Pablo Rodriguez
Quebec Politics QUEBEC — The impact of new Liberal Leader Pablo Rodriguez is already being felt across the Quebec political scene. A poll conducted just after his victory shows a rise in voting intentions for the Liberals at the expense of François Legault's Coalition Avenir Québec. According to the Pallas Data poll released Tuesday, the Parti Québécois still leads with 31 per cent. But the Liberals, now led by Rodriguez, are not far behind with 26 per cent, up four points from the previous poll in March. The CAQ has fallen to third place with 15 per cent, 11 points behind the Liberals. Legault's party is statistically tied with Éric Duhaime's Conservative Party. Québec solidaire is last at 12 per cent. A surprise in this poll is that the Liberals have risen in support from francophones to 19 per cent, up from 14 per cent in March. This puts them second behind the PQ at 38 per cent. This survey, commissioned by the polling aggregator Qc125, was conducted from June 14-16 among a random sample of 1,085 Quebec respondents age 18 and older. The margin of error is plus or minus three per cent, 19 times out of 20. A Léger poll published in May, before the end of the Liberal race, indicated that if the party chose Rodriguez as leader, it would rise to 31 per cent of voting intentions, a statistical tie with the PQ. The general election will be held in October 2026.
CTV News
4 days ago
- Politics
- CTV News
Liberals surging as CAQ falls to third in new poll, PQ remains in lead
New Quebec Liberal Party Leader Pablo Rodriguez, centre, reacts on stage alongside former Quebec Premiers Philippe Couillard, left, and Jean Charest, right, at the Quebec Liberal Party Leadership Conference in Quebec City, Saturday, June 14, 2025. (Joel Ryan/The Canadian Press) The effect of new Liberal (PLQ) Leader Pablo Rodriguez is already being felt on the Quebec political scene. A poll conducted just after his leadership victory shows a rise in voting intentions for the provincial Liberals at the expense of François Legault's Coalition Avenir Québec (CAQ). According to the Pallas Data poll published on Tuesday, the Parti Québécois (PQ) is still leading in voting intentions with 31 per cent. The Liberals, now led by Rodriguez, are not far behind with 26 per cent. The previous Pallas Data poll, published in March 2025, put the Liberals at 22 per cent. The shockwaves caused by the arrival of Rodriguez are shaking the CAQ's already fragile support, which finds itself in third place, 11 points behind the Quebec Liberal Party. In March, the CAQ was at 20 per cent of voting intentions, according to the same polling firm. Legault's party is statistically tied with Éric Duhaime's Conservative Party (PCQ). Québec Solidaire is in last place with 12 per cent of voting intentions. The poll also shows that the Liberals have regained support among francophone voters, at 19 per cent. The previous survey by the same firm had them at 14 per cent. The Liberals are now in second place among francophones, but still lag behind the PQ, which holds a dominant 38 per cent. A Léger poll published in May, before the end of the Liberal race, indicated that if the PLQ chose Rodriguez as its leader, it would rise to 31 per cent of voting intentions, statistically tied with the Parti Québécois. Pablo Rodriguez, Philippe Couillard, Jean Charest New Quebec Liberal Party Leader Pablo Rodriguez, centre, reacts on stage alongside former Quebec Premiers Philippe Couillard, left, and Jean Charest, right, at the Quebec Liberal Party Leadership Conference in Quebec City, Saturday, June 14, 2025. (Joel Ryan/The Canadian Press) The general election is set to take place in October 2026. The survey, commissioned by poll aggregator Qc125, was conducted from June 14 to 16, 2025, among a random sample of 1,085 Quebec respondents aged 18 and over. The margin of error for the entire sample is three per cent, 19 times out of 20. This report by The Canadian Press was first published in French on June 17, 2025.
CTV News
5 days ago
- Politics
- CTV News
New Quebec Liberal Leader Pablo Rodriguez says he'll run for seat in 2026 election
New Quebec Liberal Party Leader Pablo Rodriguez, centre, reacts on stage alongside former Quebec premiers Philippe Couillard, left, and Jean Charest, right, at the Quebec Liberal Party leadership conference in Quebec City, Saturday, June 14, 2025. (THE CANADIAN PRESS/Joel Ryan) The newly elected leader of the Quebec Liberals (PLQ) says he'll wait until the 2026 provincial election to run for a seat in the National Assembly. Pablo Rodriguez says he doesn't intend to run in a byelection just to enter the legislature as quickly as possible. Instead, he says he'll travel across Quebec in the coming months to rebuild the party. However, the former federal Liberal cabinet minister still plans to appear regularly at the Quebec legislature to give press conferences. Rodriguez won the party's leadership contest on Saturday in the second round. The 57-year-old secured just over 52 per cent of the vote over second-place finisher Charles Milliard, who collected about 48 per cent. This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 16, 2026.
