Transport Minister Pablo Rodriguez listens to a question while speaking to reporters about the Air Canada labour situation, at the Liberal caucus retreat in Nanaimo, B.C., on Sept. 10.DARRYL DYCK/The Canadian Press
Transport Minister Pablo Rodriguez plans to announce his resignation from the Trudeau cabinet on Thursday to enter the Quebec Liberal leadership race, another blow to the governing Liberals who are reeling from a loss this week in a Montreal by-election.
Mr. Rodriguez also serves as Quebec lieutenant for Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, a crucial role because the province is critical to electoral success for the Liberals.
Quebec MP and Public Services and Procurement Minister Jean-Yves Duclos said Wednesday that Mr. Rodriguez has done a lot for the country and Quebec, and his departure will leave “a hole.”
Mr. Rodriguez is an important member of the Trudeau cabinet and caucus, Mr. Duclos said, but added there are “a lot of other MPs and ministers that stay behind and will keep fighting for the interests of Quebeckers and Canadians.”
Another ministerial and Quebec caucus colleague, Steven Guilbeault, said Mr. Rodriguez was taking on a “very challenging” task.
“He’s not going home in retirement. He’s going to do something that’s very important and for that I’m very grateful.”
Several Liberal sources confirmed Mr. Rodriguez’s exit on Wednesday. One source with direct knowledge said the decision would be made public on Thursday. A second source with direct knowledge said Mr. Rodriguez will stay on as an MP.
Mr. Rodriguez informed the party’s Quebec MPs of his decision on Wednesday, said a third Liberal source.
Two Liberal MPs said the Prime Minister addressed the by-election loss in remarks to the national caucus meeting.
Mr. Rodriguez did not attend the Wednesday national caucus meeting, one of the MPs said.
The Globe and Mail is not identifying the Liberal sources who were not authorized to speak publicly about internal party matters.
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Mr. Rodriguez is the second high-profile minister to leave the Prime Minister’s cabinet in just three months. Former Labour Minister Seamus O’Regan quit his post in July, citing family commitments.
Their exits come at a precarious time for the party. The Liberals have lost two stronghold ridings since June and are trailing the Conservatives by about 20 points in recent public opinion polls.
The Quebec Liberal Party has been under interim leadership since Dominique Anglade resigned shortly after François Legault’s Coalition Avenir Québec party won a landslide victory in 2022. Recent polls, however, show support for Mr. Legault has slipped.
On Tuesday, Mr. Trudeau and members of cabinet vowed to move forward after being defeated in Montreal’s LaSalle-Émard-Verdun riding on Monday and Toronto-St. Paul’s in June.
Ahead of their caucus meetings on Wednesday Liberal MPs were divided about the defeat’s significance.
“The results are not good,” said Montreal MP Anthony Housefather.
His Quebec colleague, Sophie Chatel, said MPs are “concerned” and the party is looking at “what we need to do in order to reach Canadians and explain better why we wanted to be re-elected.”
“Perhaps we haven’t been listening as intently as we should be,” said Quebec MP Annie Koutrakis about the message sent in the by-election loss.
Asked if Mr. Trudeau is still the right person to lead her party, she replied: “He’s the right leader for me.”
“I know he’s working really hard for the Canadian people, and he will continue to do that until the Canadian people say otherwise,” Ms. Koutrakis said.
Long-time Montreal MP Francis Scarpaleggia said he doesn’t believe the results show any sign of momentum for the Bloc Québécois or the NDP.
“There’s no orange wave here and there’s no Bloc wave either,” he said. “The victory by the Bloc was not in any way overwhelming, and I don’t suspect that this is a trend for either of those parties.”
With a report from Campbell Clark and Tu Thanh Ha