MONTREAL – The Liberal leadership race in Quebec is kicking off today, as the provincial party looks to broaden its appeal after years in the political wilderness.
The Liberals suffered their worst defeat in more than 60 years in the 2018 election that swept François Legault and his conservative-leaning Coalition Avenir Québec into power.
They fared even worse in 2022, and now hold just 19 of 125 seats in the provincial legislature as they look to regain ground with francophone voters outside their base in Montreal.
Quebec Community Groups Network director general Sylvia Martin-Laforge says the party should lean on its traditional image of economic stewardship while casting minority rights as a matter of provincial prosperity.
Former federal minister Pablo Rodriguez is the likely front-runner in a race that also includes one-time Montreal mayor Denis Coderre, but Rodriguez also carries the baggage of nine years in Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s Liberal government.
Quebec Liberals will elect their new leader in June, and the start of the campaign will coincide with the federal party’s leadership race to replace Trudeau.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Jan. 13, 2025.
