Federal Transport Minister Pablo Rodriguez will run for the leadership of the Quebec Liberal Party (QLP). He is expected to make the announcement on Thursday in Gatineau.
The information first reported by La Presse was confirmed by The Canadian Press by a federal Liberal source who requested anonymity, as he was not authorized to discuss the matter.
Rodriguez will resign as minister this week to concentrate on the leadership race.
Rumours that Rodriguez would run for the Liberal leadership had been circulating for several weeks. He decided to wait until after the byelection in LaSalle-Émard-Verdun, which the Liberals lost to the Bloc Québécois, before making his decision official.
After the Liberals’ defeat in Toronto-St. Paul’s last June, the loss of their stronghold in LaSalle-Émard-Verdun is another blow to the Trudeau government, which was already badly battered in the polls.
Even before he entered the race, Rodriguez had received the support of provincial Liberal MP Désirée McGraw.
–This report by La Presse Canadienne was translated by CityNews