Now that Pablo Rodriguez is out, who would want to be Quebec Liberal leader?

A daylight before Pablo Rodriguez proclaimed his intention to go for leaders of the quebec city Liberal Party, early supporter Désirée McGraw — MNA for Notre-Dame-de-Grâce — called the former federal cabinet minister’s jump into Quebec politics “an act of political courage.”

It took only six months for the political veteran’s hopes of advancing a vision for a “more humane” Quebec as the province's premier to come crashing down. 

Rodriguez announced Thursday morning that he is resigning as leader of the Quebec Liberal Party (PLQ) amid an onslaught of allegations against the party for illegal campaign donations to secure his leadership win. 

What's next for the Quebec Liberals?

Rodriguez's quick exit from provincial politics further adds to the party's instability in leadership in recent years.

Rebuilding the Quebec Liberal Party, or as McGraw called it in September, "a ship that has already sunk," is a herculean task — and not one that many candidates have lined up for.

Last week, UPAC, Quebec's anti-corruption police, launched an investigation into the alleged pay-for-vote scheme. Rodriguez has maintained he knew nothing about that arrangement.  

But UPAC’s report might not be released before the election in October 2026, which could be beneficial to the party. 

The next head of the PLQ stands to lead the oldest political brand in the province's history and the party that has held power for longest.

However, as underlined by Québec Solidaire spokespeople Ruba Ghazal and Sol Zanetti — whose own party is facing internal turmoil — the Liberals have struggled to divorce themselves from ethical scandals. 

“Clearly, nothing has changed since the Charest era and the Charbonneau Commission,” said Zanetti in a media statement published on Wednesday, alluding to widespread corruption in Quebec’s building industry. 

The most recent political crisis for the Quebec Liberals started on Nov. 18, when Liberal MNA Marwah Rizqy was suspended from caucus and removed from her position as parliamentary leader for firing her chief of staff, Geneviève Hinse, without consulting Rodriguez.

Hinse had served as Rodriguez’s chief of staff when he was a federal politician. 

The next day, the Journal de Montréal published alleged text messages suggesting that some members of the party had received $100 to vote for Rodriguez in the party's leadership race.

Scrutiny of Rodriguez and the party continued for weeks and intensified earlier this week.

Allegations surfaced that the host of a fundraising event handed back $500 in cash to roughly 20 people who could not afford the entry price, effectively covering their donations.

Such a scheme is illegal under Quebec’s election laws. 

In the wake of Rodriguez's decision, several elected officials have already declared that they're not interested in becoming his successor.

One candidate, however, appears to be keeping an open mind.

Charles Milliard, who finished second in the Quebec Liberal leadership race, said he would wait to see how the party proceeds before "making my own decisions."

"One thing is certain: the time for major changes has come. The renewal of the PLQ is necessary, unavoidable and urgent," his statement reads. "Quebecers are watching."

It is unclear whether other candidates in the last Quebec Liberal leadership race — Karl Blackburn, Marc Bélanger and Mario Roy — would attempt again to lead the Quebec Liberals. 

The party’s electoral committee had rejected former Liberal MP and Montreal mayor Denis Coderre’s leadership bid in February. 

Here's something else to consider: there might not even be a leadership race.

According to Article 27.1 of the party's constitution, its executive council can appoint a new leader when the position becomes vacant and there is insufficient time to organize a leadership race.

To do that, however, that candidate needs to have the support of the party executive, the majority of Liberal riding association presidents and the majority of the Liberal MNAs.

In the wake of Rodriguez’s announcements, there are star politicians who have already ruled out the idea of taking his place as the next PLQ leader. 

Marwah Rizqy

In a social media post on Wednesday, Rizqy quickly shut down any possibility that she would throw her hat in the ring for the leadership. 

“I wish to firmly reiterate that I had no such intention, that I do not have it now, and that I will not have it in the coming weeks and/or months,” Rizqy wrote. “Under the circumstances, you can understand that I will not be making further comments.”  

Rizqy is currently facing a lawsuit from Hinse, who is seeking $500,000 in punitive and moral damages. 

Before serving as legislative leader, Rizqy had already announced that she would not seek re-election so that she could spend more time with her young children. 

Mélanie Joly

Speaking before Rodriguez announced his resignation officially, federal Industry Minister Mélanie Joly confirmed that Quebec Liberal supporters had asked her to run for the party’s leadership, but she won’t.

“The fact is, I am not a member of the PLQ. I am not interested in becoming the leader of the PLQ,” Joly said. 

She said the allegations against the party are “troubling” and “completely unacceptable.” 

Asked whether Rodriguez resigning is the right decision, she said that in the interest of earning people’s trust during a trade war, “it is time for Quebec and Canada to move on to the next stage.”  

François-Philippe Champagne 

Federal Finance Minister François-Philippe Champagne, who also served in the Trudeau cabinet at the same time as Rodriguez, said he has no plans to lead the Quebec Liberals.

“I made clear that my way of contributing to Quebec and to Quebecers is to represent them in Ottawa and to fight for our country,” Champagne told reporters during an online news conference on Wednesday.

The party was without an official leader for nearly three years, after Dominique Anglade resigned in December 2022. 

While Anglade made history as the first Black woman to be at the helm of the party, her breakthrough for representation at the provincial leadership level is often overshadowed by the party’s historic defeat under her direction.

Marc Tanguay, MNA for Lafontaine, had served as interim leader for the party until Rodriguez was chosen in June 2025.

After Quebec’s fall legislative session ended, the PLQ — which has long been in the political wilderness — now finds itself entering an election year without an official leader. 

Still, with determination and 10 months to go before the next provincial election, the party could hold another leadership race, albeit a very short one. 

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