Minister of Transport Pablo Rodriguez speaks to reporters ahead of a cabinet meeting on Parliament Hill in Ottawa, on June 11.Spencer Colby/The Canadian Press
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s Quebec lieutenant and long-time ally and cabinet minister is being courted by provincial Liberals to leave federal politics and jump into the Quebec Liberal Party’s leadership race, according to sources who say Pablo Rodriguez is listening to the overtures.
Mr. Rodriguez serves as both Transport Minister and the minority Liberal government’s Quebec lieutenant – a crucial role for a party that relies heavily on the province for its electoral success.
Three Liberal sources say Mr. Rodriguez is being approached to run for the provincial party, which has fared poorly in recent elections and struggled to attract big names for its leadership race.
The Globe and Mail is not identifying the sources because they were not permitted to disclose the private conversations.
Two of those sources said he is having a lot of conversations and hearing from many people who are trying to convince him to run provincially. One of the two sources said he listening to the pitch being made. The third source said Mr. Rodriguez is seriously considering making the move.
Mr. Rodriguez’s office did not rule out his exit when asked by The Globe on Sunday.
“The minister has stated that, as Transport Minister and Québec lieutenant in the Trudeau government, he is proud to work relentlessly every day for the good of Quebecers and all Canadians,” said spokesperson Jacques Martineau in a statement.
“He is sincerely touched by the many requests he has received to go back to where it all began for him.”
Mr. Rodriguez’s political career started in the Quebec Liberal Party, where he was part of the youth wing when Robert Bourrassa was Quebec premier, his office said.
The Prime Minister’s Office said it had no comment on the possibility of Mr. Rodriguez switching to provincial politics and didn’t say whether he will be allowed to stay in cabinet while he weighs his options.
His possible exit from federal politics was first reported by Radio Canada.
Mr. Rodriguez has represented the Montreal riding of Honoré-Mercier from 2004 to 2011 and then again since 2015. He served as Mr. Trudeau’s campaign co-chair heading into the 2015 federal election and has been a cabinet minister since 2018.
Should Mr. Rodriguez choose to leave his federal post, he would be the second minister in two months to resign. At the end of July, his cabinet colleague Seamus O’Regan quit as minister and announced he wouldn’t seek another term as MP.
The Prime Minister’s leadership has faced growing headwinds over the past year amid slumping public opinion polls, lacklustre fundraising and a by-election loss in June that stunned Liberals as they lost their long-held riding of Toronto-St. Paul’s.