Quebec Liberal Party June 2025-

11 June
Can Rodriguez dodge the “Anyone But Pablo” movement developing in Québec Liberal race?
Andrew Caddell
It is not just Pablo Rodriguez’s name or urban swagger that may hold him back—he has little growth potential among young people
(Hill Times) Fearing political oblivion, the Liberals have gone out of their way to not offend francophone nationalist voters, who are not their natural constituency.
For example, they did not oppose Bill 4, the shortest law in the Commonwealth, which offered to make the oath to the King—a constitutional requirement—optional. They followed that up with support for a unanimous resolution demanding the elimination of the post of lieutenant governor, the day after Indigenous leader Manon Jeannotte’s appointment was announced last December. They voted in favour of a motion denouncing bilingualism, another repudiating Prime Minister Mark Carney’s call for “One Canadian economy, not 13,” and joined in calling for the end of the monarchy the day King Charles left Canada last month.
The leadership race has attracted five candidates: Rodriguez, and a series of former candidates and business types. Marc Bélanger, a tax lawyer, ran and lost in two long ago federal elections. Karl Blackburn, former MNA in Roberval and recently president of the Conseil du patronat du Québec business group, was seen as a front runner and came in late. Charles Milliard was the president of the Federation of Quebec Chambers of Commerce, while Mario Roy is an economist and farmer.
What is truly astonishing is the vast majority of Rodriguez’s support comes from anglophone MNAs. The former Trudeau cabinet minister was known on Parliament Hill as a hypernationalist who publicly denied there was such a thing as a native anglophone community in Québec.
Rodriguez is also one of the architects of Bill C-13, which applies the rules of the Charter of the French Language on federal employees and federally regulated businesses, and declares French Canadians as the only linguistic minority in Canada. In the passage of Bill C-13, I heard from several anglophone MPs that the Trudeau PMO—egged on by nationalists like then-heritage minister Rodriguez—discouraged them from voting against Bill C-13, with promises their nomination papers might not be signed in 2025.
The greatest irony of the raft of endorsements for Rodriguez is that his MNA supporters are presuming he can win a majority. I have been reading about and participating in Quebec politics since I was a teenager in the 1960s. I live in one of the rural “regions,” and I don’t see Rodriguez cleaning up here. It is not just his name or his urban swagger—he has little growth potential among young people.

10-11 June
Mulcair: Progressive voices from all sides take a stand for Quebec unity
…the Quebec Liberal leadership race now takes on new significance. Voting has begun to choose a permanent leader, and the stakes are high.
The choice seems to be coming down to experienced Quebec politician and business leader Karl Blackburn and former federal minister Pablo Rodriguez, who sat at the cabinet table for every boneheaded economic decision of Justin Trudeau.
The growing momentum behind Blackburn is worth noting. I’ve known Blackburn for decades. He is the only candidate with experience in the National Assembly and brings with him a deep understanding of Quebec and its regions. He has a businessman’s eye for the economy, grounded in his roots in the resource-rich Saguenay—Lac-St-Jean region, and an engaged approach to social issues. Few understand the Quebec model as well as he does, including our approach to resource development that treats First Nations as genuine partners, as exemplified by the Paix des Braves.
See Karl Blackburn on how Quebec Liberals can beat the CAQ
It’s been a long, cold, wet spring. But there is, indeed, some sunlight on the horizon.
Course à la chefferie du Parti libéral du Québec: que le meilleur gagne!
… Jusqu’à la dernière minute, on a cru qu’il n’y aurait qu’un nombre très restreint de candidats.
Or, celui qui sera choisi par les membres héritera du PLQ dans un contexte tout à fait différent de ce qu’il était il y a deux ans. …
La dégringolade de la CAQ, ses échecs consternants, son incapacité à livrer ses projets phares, la remontée du sentiment nationaliste provoquée par les attaques de Donald Trump envers la souveraineté du Canada et l’incertitude économique viennent ouvrir la voie à un retour du PLQ comme la seule option valable pour de nombreux Québécois en 2026.
Si le mode de scrutin et le système de pointage du parti rendent l’issue du vote imprévisible, la journée du 14 juin n’en sera que plus palpitante.
Quebec Liberals vote for new leader Saturday; five candidates (video)
“Whoever takes over will have to be very regional,” said political analyst Karim Boulos about the Quebec Liberal leadership race. With five candidates, the new leader must rebuild the struggling party.

7 June
Karl Blackburn on how Quebec Liberals can beat the CAQ
(The Corner Booth) … A late entry into the [QLP Leadership] contest is Karl Blackburn, former MNA for Roberval from 2003 to 2007, and a chief organizer for the party. Blackburn also served as the president and CEO of the Conseil du patronat du Québec (CPQ), the province’s largest employers’ group. The Quebec Liberal leadership candidate joined hosts Bill Brownstein and Aaron Rand to lay out his vision for uniting the Liberal base in Montreal with the vote-rich regions of the province. Blackburn feels his Lac-St-Jean bonafides will serve the party well outside of the 514-450.
Blackburn talked about his opposition to the CAQ government’s language, education and health-care bills. He also commented on the “anyone but Rodriguez” sentiment brewing in the race against the early front-runner, former Montreal-area federal minister Pablo Rodriguez. “The PLQ are not going to be a government anymore if we’re not able to reconnect with the regions, and this is my strength,” Blackburn said in response to what would make him a more attractive candidate than Rodriguez.

2 June
Quebec Liberal leadership race: Economist Mario Roy shares his ‘big ideas’
(CTV) Roy: I started my campaign with one idea, one proposition that is completely different from the others. I’m suggesting nationalizing residences for older people. The reason is that over the past decade we’ve lost a number of residences for older people all over the regions but all over Quebec. We’ve seen a lot of residences that have been closing over the past years, and I’m suggesting to nationalize them for two reasons.