Federal Transport Minister Pablo Rodriguez is set to announce he’s stepping down from cabinet and as the Quebec Lieutenant on Thursday, but he’ll remain an MP, CTV News has confirmed.
The longtime cabinet minister also plans to announce on Thursday he’s running for the leadership of the Quebec Liberal Party.
Rodriguez’s empty seat on the front bench will force a shift in the cabinet makeup while Prime Minister Justin Trudeau decides who will take over the transport and Quebec lieutenant responsibilities.
It also means the prime minister will have one fewer Quebec representative in his cabinet, a more damaging gap following the Liberals’ second major byelection loss in just three months. The Bloc Quebecois won the long-held Liberal seat in LaSalle—Émard—Verdun on Monday, which had been left open following the resignation of former justice minister David Lametti.