Opinion: Quebec Liberals pick Pablo Rodriguez. Brace for a return to sovereignty battles in Quebec

Montreal Gazette

10 hours ago

It was far from the spectacular coronation some were expecting. On Saturday, Pablo Rodriguez became the new leader of the Quebec Liberal Party, securing just over 52 per cent support on the second ballot against runner-up Charles Milliard.
That's quite a short margin — light years away compared to Mark Carney's stunning 86 per cent majority on the first ballot just a few months ago on the federal stage.
After a leadership race that lasted nearly a whole year, Justin Trudeau's former lieutenant inherits a party that is deeply divided. Results show that close to one in two Liberal members (47.7 per cent) didn't make him either their first or second choice in this preferential voting system. As a matter of fact, the 'Anyone but Pablo' movement nearly cost him the victory at the finish line.
So his first task, before he can begin persuading voters to trust him in the next election, will be to unite his own party — and his caucus at the National Assembly — around his leadership and vision for the QLP's future. Time will tell whether a staunch Montreal-based federalist like Rodriguez can bring nationalists and rural voters back into the Liberal fold.
Milliard, the former CEO of the Fédération des chambres de commerce du Québec, was the surprise of the race, finishing second on the first ballot and beating high-profile contender Karl Blackburn. Many saw in him as a breath of fresh air — a younger political outsider akin to Paul St-Pierre Plamondon for the Parti Québécois. For some, the choice of a seasoned politician like Rodriguez is seen as a missed opportunity for the party's renewal and for reconnecting with younger generations of Quebecers.
One thing is for sure: After an impressive campaign in which Liberal members and the broader public got to know him better, Milliard has proven his high potential and shown what he's capable of. As he confirmed again this weekend his intention to run in the next provincial election as a Liberal candidate, there's little doubt we'll soon see him again on the political stage.
Rodriguez's arrival in provincial politics also signals a potential revival of the sovereignty debate. He referenced it in his victory speech, already wielding the spectre of a third referendum on Quebec independence to dissuade voters from supporting the PQ.
After an eight-year hiatus during which Quebecers embraced the so-called 'third way' offered by the nationalist-but-not-separatist Coalition Avenir Québec, it seems like the next election will likely revolve around the question of sovereignty.
Yes, again. And the PQ is certainly thrilled at the idea of going back to these 'glory days'.
Following five decades in which provincial politics were dominated by the debate over whether Quebec should secede from Canada, many believed François Legault's rise to power in 2018 had opened a new chapter — and perhaps even put the sovereigntist movement to rest for good.
I must admit that I was one of them. And that we were probably wrong about it.
With the ultra-federalist Rodriguez now facing off against hardline sovereigntist St-Pierre Plamondon — who is openly committed to holding another referendum in his first term if he becomes the next premier — Quebec appears to be poised to return to the good old quarrels about the province's future within Canada. And in this world of wedge politics and picking sides, this divisive question may serve well both the Liberals and the PQ, eclipsing in the process other, more pressing issues such as the economy, the management public finances, health, and education, to name just a few.
All that, despite polls suggesting that roughly two-thirds of Quebecers are simply not interested in reopening this never-ending debate.
It's almost as if we're moving backwards.