Pressure mounts on Quebec Liberal Leader Pablo Rodriguez to resign amid crisis – Montreal

Quebec Liberal Leader Pablo Rodriguez is facing growing pressure from prominent Liberals to resign amid an ongoing crisis within the party.

But the former federal cabinet minister insists he will remain in office and could still win the next provincial election.

“I was elected by party members because they know I have the experience to defeat (the governing Avenir Québec coalition) and the Parti Québécois,” the embattled leader told reporters Thursday morning on the sidelines of his party's meeting in Quebec City. “I'm not going anywhere.”

A day earlier, Quebec anti-corruption police announced they were launching a criminal investigation into the Quebec Liberals following allegations of vote-buying during the leadership race, which Rodriguez won in June.

The news prompted some Liberals to openly demand the leader's resignation, arguing the ongoing crisis has damaged the party with the next election less than a year away.

Former Liberal minister Christine St-Pierre said the anti-corruption unit's investigation was the straw that broke the camel's back.

“It undermines his leadership,” she said in an interview with The Canadian Press on Thursday. “The decision rests with him, but I urge him to take the interests of the party seriously.”

Another former Liberal minister, Serge Simard, called on Rodriguez to resign.

“The die is cast. The damage is done. So from now on, if we want to put this behind the party – a party that has done a lot for Quebec, it must be said – we have to stop it now and replace the leader. We have no choice, we have reached this point,” he said.

Simard supported one of Rodriguez's rivals, Charles Millard, in the election campaign and is now inviting Millard to re-enter the race if the Liberal leader steps aside. “I trusted Charles. I still trust him,” he said Thursday.

On Wednesday, Rodriguez's other main rival, Carl Blackburn, told Radio-Canada the situation was “extremely concerning.”

“I think Mr. Rodriguez certainly has to ask himself some serious questions in this context,” he said.

Blackburn has not ruled out replacing Rodriguez if he resigns.

A third former Liberal minister, Jean D'Amours, is also calling on Rodriguez to resign for the good of the party.

“I think it's time for him to prove his commitment to the party and, unfortunately, to leave. I don't do this lightly, but I'm talking to activists, I'm talking to association presidents, and these people are a little fed up, irritated with the situation,” he said in an interview with The Canadian Press on Wednesday.

In November, the Liberal faction was thrown into chaos after former parliamentary leader Marwa Rizky fired her chief of staff without consulting Rodriguez. He later expelled her from the meeting, saying that she had not given him reasons and that she lacked loyalty.

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Shortly after Rizki fired her chief of staff, Le Journal de Montréal published text messages indicating that some party members who voted for Rodriguez could receive cash rewards. It is unclear whether the two stories are related.

Rodriguez announced last week that he had expelled a second Liberal legislator, Sonu Lahoyan Olivier, from his caucus due to an investigation by Quebec's ethics commissioner.

The ethics commissioner's office said it will review whether Lahoian Olivier used her constituency resources for partisan purposes during the leadership race.

Montreal radio station 98.5 FM named Lajoyan Olivier as one of two people behind the text messages published by Le Journal de Montréal, but she denied the claim and sent a formal letter to station owner Cogeco.

The Canadian Press has not verified the authenticity of the text messages.

Rodriguez said he welcomes the investigation and has nothing to hide. He separately asked a retired judge to investigate the claims.

In Quebec on Thursday, the mood among members of the Liberal caucus was gloomy, although they did not publicly break ranks with their leader. Liberal Enrico Ciccone said his constituents have begun talking to him about the controversy.

“Today we are in a difficult situation. We are in terrible pain. We work so hard for the people participating in our trips. We want to know the whole truth,” he said.

Another Liberal assemblyman, Moncef Derradji, reminded reporters that he was not involved in any candidate's election campaign. “These are extremely difficult times,” he said. “Every day we learn something new.”

But others reiterated their support for Rodriguez. “I’m ready to go to war with him,” said liberal Linda Caron. “Nothing wrong was done during the election campaign.”

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Dec. 11, 2025.

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