Name: Who will replace Pablo Rodriguez as Quebecs Liberal Party leader?
Uploaded: 2025-12-18T00:41:02.255Z
Duration: 2 min 52 s
Description: With less than 10 months to go until Quebec’s next provincial election, a nearly month-long scandal has led to the resignation of the PLQ’s leader, with several high-profile names already confirming they have no intention of replacing him.

With less than 10 months to go until Quebec’s next provincial election, a nearly month-long scandal has led to the resignation of the PLQ’s leader, with several high-profile names already confirming they have no intention of replacing him.

Quebec City

Pablo Rodríguez has resigned as leader of the Quebec Liberal Party after a period marked by internal conflict and investigations into alleged irregularities during his leadership campaign. His resignation follows a series of controversies, including the expulsion of Marwa Rizki from caucus, allegations of a pay-for-votes scheme, and an ongoing probe by Quebec's anti-corruption squad.

Several high-profile federal politicians have declined to seek the leadership, and the party is now without a leader as it approaches an election year. The Quebec Liberal Party plans to hold a short leadership race, expected to last four to six weeks and likely to begin at the start of 2026.

Who will replace Pablo Rodriguez as Quebec's Liberal Party leader?

CBC has confirmed that Quebec Liberal Party leader Pablo Rodríguez has resigned. This comes after he and his party have been going through an internal crisis for months. A former federal minister, Rodríguez became the new Quebec Liberal Party leader just last June. Just six months later, he was already under enormous pressure to resign. This winding journey started when star M&A Marwa Rizki was kicked out of the Liberal caucus. The reason given? For firing her chief of staff, Geneviève Ince, without telling Rodríguez. Ince worked for him in Ottawa. And from there, a series of dominoes began to fall, with weekly and sometimes daily revelations about the leadership race, including allegations of a pay-for-votes scheme. Not long after, Quebec's anti-corruption squad, UPAC, confirmed it was investigating the Quebec Liberal Party. There are also allegations that a businessman reimbursed donors for contributions to Rodríguez's campaign. That practice is illegal. Rodríguez also gave $20,000 to his wife to rent her office in Montreal during his leadership race. That practice is not illegal. But Rodríguez said he wouldn't do it again. Some former Liberal M&As and ministers have been asking Pablo Rodríguez to resign. They believe the party needs a new leader, and fast. But it won't be federal Minister of Industry, Mélanie Joly, who was approached and declined the offer. François-Philippe Champagne, the federal finance minister, also said no. And this political observer underlines, for a strong leader, that will appeal to francophone regions, where the Quebec Liberal Party needs to do better. I think it might be easier for Charles Meillard or Karl Blackburn to gain the support of francophone Quebecers in the region. So in some bizarre, ironic ways, this may have been the best thing that could have happened to the Liberals. Rodríguez held on, with support from his caucus. But that support held for a while. But as the revelations keep coming, the tide shifted, marking the beginning of the end for his leadership. The party is now without a leader heading into an election year. And another confirmation on who it won't be, Marwa Risky. She confirmed on social media that she has no intention to run. She had previously announced she would not be seeking re-election in 2026. But the Quebec Liberal Party seems to want a short leadership race that could last from four to six weeks and could start at the beginning of 2026.

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