Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on Thursday appointed Treasury Chair Anita Anand to the additional duties of Canada’s transport minister.
There have been some minor shakeups on the front bench after long-time cabinet minister Pablo Rodriguez announced he was stepping down from cabinet to run for leadership of the Quebec Liberal Party (QLP).
His decision to leave the Trudeau government left the Liberal party without a Quebec lieutenant general, with Procurement Minister Jean-Yves Duclos set to take over the role.
Anand was sworn in to his new role Thursday afternoon during a brief ceremony at Rideau Hall that was not attended by Prime Minister Trudeau, but was attended by Premier Mary Simon and a small group of staff and family members.
Sources told CTV News plans are underway for major personnel changes in the coming months.
Anand told reporters he thanked Rodriguez for his service but avoided questions about what his resignation means for the Liberal Party’s political fortunes.
“His decision is one he has made independently and I wish him the best,” she said.
Rodriguez wins seat as an independent
Although Rodriguez has stepped back from the public eye, he will remain the member of parliament for the Quebec constituency of Honoré-Mercier. In a notable move, he has decided to run as an independent until the start of the leadership campaign in January next year.
Asked why he decided to stay in the House of Representatives and leave the party he had been a part of for decades, Rodriguez said he wanted to avoid “costly by-elections” just months before the general election.
“I am running as an independent because my priorities are no longer the government’s priorities. I have always served the government as a good team player, but today I have to set my own priorities and promote my own vision,” he said in French.
Rodriguez was first elected as a Member of Parliament in 2004 but lost to the NDP’s Paulina Ayala in the 2011 Orange wave.
Rodrigues regained his seat in 2015 and has since served in a series of cabinet positions, including government representative in the lower house and minister of culture and heritage.
His resignation, which had been heavily rumored over the summer, came just days after the Liberal party lost a key by-election in another Montreal constituency to the Bloc Quebecois.
A prominent Quebec politician, he is part of a growing number of prominent Liberals defecting from the Trudeau camp.
Former Labor minister Seamus O’Regan stepped down from cabinet in July and announced he would not seek re-election, and Liberal national campaign director Jeremy Broadhurst resigned just before the autumn session began.
More than a dozen Liberal Party lawmakers have also announced they will step down or not stand for re-election.
Committed to voting in Quebec’s interest
Rodriguez is running for the Quebec Liberal Party to replace former leader Dominique Anglade, who resigned in late 2022, one month after the party lost the provincial election to Premier François Legault’s Quebec Future Coalition.
Today, Legault called on Bloc leader Yves-François Blanchet: Topple the Trudeau government The first opportunity to table a motion of no confidence will be given next week.
Blanchet has already said the Conservative party would not support an initial attempt to call an early election, a position he reiterated on the way to the question-and-answer session, telling reporters he saw no logic in beating Trudeau and replacing him with Conservative Leader Pierre Poiriervre.
NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh later confirmed that his party would also not support the initial no-confidence motion.
Asked how he plans to vote as a freshman independent navigating the volatile dynamics of a minority parliament, Rodriguez said he will vote for policies he thinks are “good for Quebec and good for Quebecers.”
“This time it’s not about the Liberal government, it’s about me, my vision, what I’m going to propose. It’s no longer about the federal government. They’re going to do what they have to do and I’m going to do what I have to do on my side,” Rodriguez said.
As for the looming no-confidence motion, Rodriguez said he would vote against it as he does not want a federal election at this time.
Marc Bélanger, a rival for the leadership, welcomed Rodriguez to the race in a statement.
“His determination to further defend the interests of Quebec, beyond his service as a Quebec police inspector, is an encouraging sign. This election campaign will finally give him the opportunity to have a stronger presence on the ground, leave Montreal and meet with Quebecers across the province,” he said in a statement.
QLP members will vote to select a new leader at the party conference in June next year.
With files from CTV News’ Vassy Kapelos, Brennan MacDonald, Spencer Van Dyke and Mike Le Couture
