PM Trudeau names Anita Anand transport minister after Pablo Rodriguez quits cabinet

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau tapped Treasury Board President Anita Anand to take on additional duties as Canada’s minister of transport on Thursday.

The minor shakeup to his front bench came as a result of longtime cabinet minister Pablo Rodriguez announcing that he was quitting as a minister to run for the leadership of the Quebec Liberal Party (QLP).

His decision to get out of Trudeau’s government also left the Liberals without a Quebec lieutenant. Minister of Procurement Jean Yves Duclos is taking over that title.

Anand was sworn in to her new role in a brief ceremony at Rideau Hall on Thursday afternoon. Trudeau was not present, but Gov. Gen. Mary Simon was, as were a small number of staff and family members.  

There are plans underway for a bigger shuffle in the next few months, sources tell CTV News. 

Speaking to reporters, Anand thanked Rodriguez for his contributions but dodged questions about what his departure means for the Liberals’ political fortunes.

“In terms of his decision, that is a decision that he made independently, and I wish him well,” she said.

While Rodriguez has vacated his seat on the front bench, he will be staying on as the MP for Honoré-Mercier, Que. In a notable move, Rodriguez has decided to sit as an Independent MP until the launch of the leadership campaign next January.

Asked why he’s decided to stay on and separate himself in the House of Commons from the political party he’s been a part of for decades, Rodriguez said he wanted to avoid “a costly byelection” potentially months before a general election.

“I am running as an Independent because my priorities can no longer be those of a government, a government I have always served as a good team player, but today I have to set my own priorities and advance my own vision,” he said in French.

First elected as an MP in 2004, Rodriguez was defeated by the NDP’s Paulina Ayala during the Orange Wave of 2011.

Rodriguez then won his seat back in 2015 and has since served in a series of cabinet roles, including as government leader in the House of Commons, and heritage minister.

His departure – while heavily speculated over the summer – comes just days after the Liberals lost a key byelection in another Montreal riding to the Bloc Quebecois.

The prominent Quebec politician is the latest in a growing number of high-profile Liberals moving away from team Trudeau.

Former labour minister Seamus O’Regan announced in July he was stepping down from cabinet and would not seek re-election, and just before the fall sitting began, the Liberals’ national campaign director Jeremy Broadhurst quit.

More than a dozen Liberal MPs have also either stepped away or have announced they won’t be running for re-election. 

Rodriguez’s run for the Quebec Liberal Party is to replace former leader Dominique Anglade, who stepped down in late 2022, a month after the party’s provincial election loss to Premier François Legault’s Coalition Avenir Quebec.

Today, Legault called on Bloc Leader Yves-Francois Blanchet to topple the Trudeau government when given their first chance at a motion of non-confidence next week.

Blanchet has already said his party won’t be backing the Conservatives’ first attempt to trigger an early election. He doubled down on this position speaking to reporters on his way in to question period, saying he doesn’t see the logic in defeating Trudeau just to replace him with Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre.

NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh then confirmed his party also would not be backing the first non-confidence motion.  

Asked how he intends to vote as a newfound Independent MP navigating the unstable minority Parliament dynamics, Rodriguez said he will vote for policies that he thinks are “good for Quebec and for Quebecers.”

“It’s not about the Liberal government, this time, it’s about me, my vision, what I’m going to propose… It’s not about the federal government anymore. They will do what they have to do, and I will do what I have to do on my side,” Rodriguez said.

As for the looming non-confidence vote, Rodriguez said he doesn’t want a federal election right now, so he’ll be voting against it. 

In a statement, leadership rival Marc Bélanger welcomed Rodriguez into the race.

“His commitment to further defending Quebec’s interests, beyond what he achieved as Quebec Lieutenant, is an encouraging sign. This campaign will finally give him the opportunity to be more present on the ground, to step outside of Montreal, and to meet with Quebecers across all regions of the province,” he said in a statement.

Members of the QLP are set to vote to elect their new leader at their party convention next June.

With files from CTV News’ Vassy Kapelos, Brennan MacDonald, Spencer Van Dyk and Mike Le Couteur