Rodriguez is stepping down
Pablo Rodriguez has announced he’s stepping down as head of the PLQ.
Interesting: Le Devoir has the story, but other media are still carrying stories about pressure mounting and how his future is in question. Did Le Devoir get the scoop or did they jump the gun?
…So there it is. It would have been interesting and novel to have both Quebec and Montreal led by Latin‑Americans, but it’s off the menu now.
Joey 11:14 on 2025-12-17 Permalink
La Presse has it now too. I am not looking forward to PSSP acting as if he has a mandate from heaven to pursue independence and xenophobia only because the three opposition parties couldn’t walk and chew gum at the same time.
Paul 12:18 on 2025-12-17 Permalink
Not that I have faith, but the election is in the Fall. Plenty of time for a good candidate to put a dent in PSPP’s clear path.
Are the Liberals able to find a good candidate?? It seems they would have problem finding their car in a parking garage so I’m not sure.
Kate 12:58 on 2025-12-17 Permalink
The PLQ already had a reputation for corruption, and this latest issue of paying for party leadership votes, although it wasn’t technically illegal, has only added fuel to the dumpster fire.
They need someone of pristine reputation who can clearly define a viable and desirable path distinct from the other parties’ offerings.
They’re looking for a lion in a time of jackals.
Joey 13:15 on 2025-12-17 Permalink
Liberals are in disarray. QS is in disarray. CAQ is in disarray (although Legault’s decision to hang on no matter what is looking a little smarter now). Yes, the election isn’t tomorrow, but 10 months is nothing considering how long it took the Liberal Party to elect a leader.
Tim S. 13:20 on 2025-12-17 Permalink
All hail Eric Duhaime!
How does such a progressive province end up with this generation of politicians?
Tim S. 13:37 on 2025-12-17 Permalink
This is fun: Soraya Martinez Ferrada was at the party where illegal donations were collected. She herself did not make a donation, but she claims she wasn’t aware it was a fundraiser: “C’était un garden party, ce n’était pas un événement de financement”, a-t-elle dit.” (Rad-Can) This is one of those panicked denials that makes things worse: there is no such thing as a ‘garden party’ in Montreal on April 12, and politicians don’t show up to these things in an election year for no reason or benefit. À suivre…
[But see comment from H. John below – ed.]
Joey 15:00 on 2025-12-17 Permalink
Isn’t the deal that you can only attend if you are buying a ticket, i.e., making a contribution? You would think a federal cabinet minister with eyes on the mayoralty would know this. Anyway, wasn’t the issue that the donations were illegal because they were reimbursed by the donors’ employer, not that holding the fundraiser was somehow inherently off? (Apologies for not reading the article.)
Tim S. 15:38 on 2025-12-17 Permalink
@Joey: Normally all of that is true, which is what makes her absurd statement so interesting.
Tim S. 15:40 on 2025-12-17 Permalink
To give her the benefit of the doubt, does “garden party” mean something different in French?
azrhey 17:16 on 2025-12-17 Permalink
Can we have Marwah Rizqy as the the head of PLQ and maybe win elections next year ?
I am not particularly attached to her beyond she being my MP. I just really want certain people to have to learn how to spell her name.
Kate 17:22 on 2025-12-17 Permalink
That would be great, azrhey, but she announced awhile back that she wouldn’t run in the next election.
H. John 19:39 on 2025-12-17 Permalink
Tim S. wrote “Soraya Martinez Ferrada was at the party where illegal donations were collected.”
No. That is not correct.
There were two events discussed in the articles – both at Mr. Cabral’s home.
The fundraiser was April 12:
https://www.lapresse.ca/actualites/politique/2025-12-16/crise-au-plq/l-homme-d-affaires-emanuel-cabral-met-pablo-rodriguez-dans-l-embarras.php
The second event, with mentions in the press reports of a video available on YouTube, was July 18.
In the video of the party in his garden, Cabral introduces the politicians who were present: Pablo and Soraya Martinez Ferrada. Both took the mike and said hello:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dyDlE6NgZkk
By that time, Pablo was the leader, and it wasn’t a fundraiser.
Tim S. 21:12 on 2025-12-17 Permalink
Thanks H. John, that’s a much more logical sequence. I note Radio-Canada seems to have deleted any reference to her. It would be nice if they had some kind of timeline and explanation of editorial decisions.
On a similar note Kate, you could delete my original comment, or keep it up in the interests of editorial transparency.
Kate 22:18 on 2025-12-17 Permalink
Tim S., I’ve added a “see comment below” to your comment, so that everything makes sense.