Pablo Rodriguez publicly resigns as Quebec Liberal leader after 6 months in job

After stepping down as leader of the Quebec Liberal Party amid allegations of wrongdoing during the leadership race he won in June, Pablo Rodriguez claims he is standing tall and has no regrets. At the party headquarters in Montreal on Thursday, the former federal cabinet minister made a public resignation announcement, stating that he had become a “distraction” as the party prepared for a provincial election next year. During a brief press conference, he told reporters, “I took this decision solely out of a sense of duty for my party, which I sincerely love,” Quebec, and my country. After days of mounting pressure, Rodriguez announced his resignation to the Liberal caucus on Wednesday. He did not respond to questions. The party has been in turmoil for the last month over allegations of vote-buying and reimbursed donations during the leadership race.Rodriguez has always maintained he had no knowledge of any wrongdoing. “Today, I stand tall before you, my head held high,” he said Thursday. “I have always acted with authenticity, integrity, and ethics.”
But he said the Liberal party must be united, with the next election less than a year away and the sovereigntist Parti Québécois promising a third referendum on independence by 2030. “We cannot afford to start an election year divided, especially at a time when Canada’s future is at stake,” he said.Rodriguez said the Liberal party remains the best option to defeat the governing Coalition Avenir Québec and to prevent another referendum. The Quebec Liberal Party is larger than any of us individually. It has weathered storms, it has risen time and time again, and it will rise again,” he said.
Premier François Legault said that he respects Rodriguez’s decision in a brief statement on Thursday. “I wish him peace of mind,” he said.
Meanwhile, Quebec Liberal Party president Rafael Primeau-Ferraro said the party’s executive council will hold an emergency meeting to appoint an interim leader until a new leader is chosen.
Despite allegations that party members may have received cash rewards in exchange for votes, Rodriguez fought for his job over the last few weeks. But after Quebec’s anti-corruption police announced a criminal investigation of the party last week, prominent Liberals began calling for him to step aside.