The Quebec Liberal Party has officially launched the process to replace its embattled leader, Pablo Rodriguez, setting a tight timeline that will see a new leader elected in mid-March. The party's executive council approved the general rules for the race on Monday evening, with the detailed regulations to be released at a later date.
A Swift Succession Plan
The leadership contest will formally begin on January 12, 2026. Potential candidates have until February 13 to register, a process that requires obtaining signatures from 750 party members and submitting a substantial $30,000 deposit. The culmination will be a party convention on March 14, 2026, where delegates will select Rodriguez's successor.
This accelerated schedule comes as the party seeks stability ahead of Quebec's next provincial election, scheduled for October 5, 2026. Premier François Legault has announced he will seek a third term, though his Coalition Avenir Québec currently trails in polls behind the Parti Québécois and the Liberals.
The Scandal That Toppled a Leader
Rodriguez's resignation last week marked the end of the shortest leadership tenure in the Quebec Liberal Party's history—just six months. He stepped down amid a growing controversy surrounding allegations of financial irregularities during his own leadership campaign earlier in 2025.
The scandal involved two primary allegations: that some Liberal members were paid $100—referred to as "brownies" due to the colour of the bills—to vote for Rodriguez, and that certain donors to his campaign were allegedly reimbursed by a Montreal businessman. While Rodriguez himself has not been accused of any wrongdoing, he stated he was resigning because he had become "a distraction" for the party.
The controversy erupted publicly last month when then-Liberal parliamentary leader Marwah Rizqy abruptly fired her chief of staff, Geneviève Hinse, a close associate of Rodriguez. Rodriguez responded by suspending and then expelling Rizqy from the Liberal caucus. It was later reported that Hinse had overseen financing at the fundraiser where donors were allegedly reimbursed, though no evidence suggested she was aware of any scheme.
The Race Ahead and Potential Candidates
The upcoming leadership vote will utilize a points system. Each of the province's ridings will be worth 3,000 points—with 2,000 points allocated based on votes from party members aged 26 and over, and 1,000 points from members 25 and under. Candidates will receive points proportional to the percentage of the vote they secure in each riding.
Attention now turns to who will enter the race. Charles Milliard, the former head of the Fédération des chambres de commerce du Québec who placed second to Rodriguez in the June leadership vote, has stated he is still considering whether to run again. Meanwhile, Karl Blackburn, the former head of the Conseil du patronat du Québec and a former Liberal MNA who came third on the first ballot in June, has said he will not be a candidate this time.
The party's swift action to establish a new leadership timeline underscores the urgency of presenting a united front and a clean slate to Quebec voters, with the general election now less than ten months away.
