Federal Transport Minister Pablo Rodriguez will announce on Thursday he will seek the leadership of the Quebec Liberal Party.
The news, first reported by La Presse, was confirmed to the Presse Canadienne by a federal Liberal source not authorized to discuss the matter publicly.
Rodriguez will make the announcement in Gatineau, just across the river from Ottawa, and will resign from cabinet to concentrate on the provincial leadership bid.
Rumours concerning the political future of Rodriguez, an MP since 2004 for the Montreal riding of Honoré-Mercier and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s Quebec lieutenant, have been circulating for weeks. It would appear that he waited until the outcome of Monday’s byelection in the Montreal riding of LaSalle—Émard—Verdun, where a Liberal stronghold was lost to the Bloc Québécois, before making his decision known.
Monday’s byelection defeat comes as the Trudeau Liberals continue to tumble in the polls and nearly three month after the Liberal bastion of Toronto—St. Paul’s was lost to the Conservatives.
Rodriguez’s potential candidacy for the Quebec Liberal leadership has already received support from Quebec Liberal MNA Désirée McGraw.
The next federal election must be held by October 2025.