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.
Rodriguez to sit as Independent
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.
Promises to vote in Quebec’s interest
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
IN DEPTH
Jagmeet Singh pulls NDP out of deal with Trudeau Liberals, takes aim at Poilievre Conservatives
NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh has pulled his party out of the supply-and-confidence agreement that had been helping keep Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's minority Liberals in power.
'Not the result we wanted': Trudeau responds after surprise Conservative byelection win in Liberal stronghold
Conservative candidate Don Stewart winning the closely-watched Toronto-St. Paul's federal byelection, and delivering a stunning upset to Justin Trudeau's candidate Leslie Church in the long-time Liberal riding, has sent political shockwaves through both parties.
'We will go with the majority': Liberals slammed by opposition over proposal to delay next election
The federal Liberal government learned Friday it might have to retreat on a proposal within its electoral reform legislation to delay the next vote by one week, after all opposition parties came out to say they can't support it.
Budget 2024 prioritizes housing while taxing highest earners, deficit projected at $39.8B
In an effort to level the playing field for young people, in the 2024 federal budget, the government is targeting Canada's highest earners with new taxes in order to help offset billions in new spending to enhance the country's housing supply and social supports.
'One of the greatest': Former prime minister Brian Mulroney commemorated at state funeral
Prominent Canadians, political leaders, and family members remembered former prime minister and Progressive Conservative titan Brian Mulroney as an ambitious and compassionate nation-builder at his state funeral on Saturday.
Opinion
opinion Don Martin: Gusher of Liberal spending won't put out the fire in this dumpster
A Hail Mary rehash of the greatest hits from the Trudeau government’s three-week travelling pony-show, the 2024 federal budget takes aim at reversing the party’s popularity plunge in the under-40 set, writes political columnist Don Martin. But will it work before the next election?
opinion Don Martin: The doctor Trudeau dumped has a prescription for better health care
Political columnist Don Martin sat down with former federal health minister Jane Philpott, who's on a crusade to help fix Canada's broken health care system, and who declined to take any shots at the prime minister who dumped her from caucus.
opinion Don Martin: Trudeau's seeking shelter from the housing storm he helped create
While Justin Trudeau's recent housing announcements are generally drawing praise from experts, political columnist Don Martin argues there shouldn’t be any standing ovations for a prime minister who helped caused the problem in the first place.
opinion Don Martin: Poilievre has the field to himself as he races across the country to big crowds
It came to pass on Thursday evening that the confidentially predictable failure of the Official Opposition non-confidence motion went down with 204 Liberal, BQ and NDP nays to 116 Conservative yeas. But forcing Canada into a federal election campaign was never the point.
opinion Don Martin: How a beer break may have doomed the carbon tax hike
When the Liberal government chopped a planned beer excise tax hike to two per cent from 4.5 per cent and froze future increases until after the next election, says political columnist Don Martin, it almost guaranteed a similar carbon tax move in the offing.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
2 Canadians killed in Lebanon, Global Affairs Canada confirms amid Israel-Hezbollah conflict
Two Canadians are among those killed in southern Lebanon, Global Affairs Canada confirmed late Tuesday. While GAC has not confirmed their names due to privacy, family members tell CTV News the two people killed are Hussein and Daad Tabaja.
EXCLUSIVE Image released of mysterious object shot down over Yukon in 2023
An image of the unidentified object shot down over Canada's Yukon territory in February 2023 has been obtained by CTVNews.ca.
Debate gets testy as MPs consider confidence motion in PM Trudeau
MPs debated the first non-confidence motion of the fall House of Commons sitting today, seeing Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre push once again for a snap election. But with votes secured to keep them afloat, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's Liberals were quick to turn the discussion into a referendum on the Conservative alternative.
B.C. councillor blames 'leftist extremists' after blackface photo surfaces online
A city councillor in British Columbia says an online mob of "extremists" and "politically motivated hackers" is responsible for uncovering and publicizing a photo of him wearing a blackface costume to a Halloween party in 2007.
Feds have 'no intention' of pausing next carbon tax increase, Guilbeault says
The federal government has 'no intention' of pausing the next planned increase to the carbon price, Environment Minister Steven Guilbeault confirms.
'It shows how out of touch the Premier is': Reaction to Doug Ford's encampment comments
After Ontario Premier Doug Ford made controversial comments about solutions to get people out of homeless encampments, advocates and members of the opposition spoke up on Tuesday.
Ont. driver rescues abandoned puppies found in ditch
Four puppies were found near County Road 21 in Essa Township after a passerby spotted one when it ran out of the ditch and onto the road.
Couple in Sault Ste. Marie, Ont., awarded more than $500K for enduring life with hellish neighbour
We've all had neighbours we didn't like, but two people from Sault Ste. Marie have been awarded more than half a million dollars for the 'extreme' behaviour of the people who lived next to them.
Missouri executes Marcellus Williams for 1998 killing of a woman despite her family's calls to spare his life
A Missouri man convicted of breaking into a woman’s home and repeatedly stabbing her was executed Tuesday over the objections of the victim’s family and the prosecutor, who wanted the death sentence commuted to life in prison.
Local Spotlight
Ice cream criminals: Lethbridge break-in sees suspects steal plenty of pints
Police are looking to the public for help after thieves broke into a Lethbridge ice creamery, stealing from the store.
Delivering a helping hand; how Winnipeg postal employees are going the distance on the job
An ordinary day on the job delivering mail in East Elmwood quickly turned dramatic for Canada Post letter carrier Jared Plourde. A woman on his route was calling out in distress.
'We'll come back': Fire destroys barn, 17,000 plants at family-owned N.B. business
Fire has destroyed a barn and 17,000 plants at a family-owned business in Lower Coverdale, N.B.
Jeanne Beker, the trailblazer of Canadian fashion and music storytelling, inspires new Calgary exhibition
Before influencers on social media, Canada’s Jeanne Beker was bringing the world of high fashion down to earth and as Calgary’s Glenbow Museum gets a major make-over, it will include a new exhibition showcasing the pop culture icon.
Rescuers free entangled sea lion off Vancouver Island
A sea lion swam free after a rescue team disentangled it near Vancouver Island earlier this week.
Riding and reading: Popular Nova Scotian YouTuber launches mobile bookstore
A Nova Scotian YouTuber has launched a mini-truck bookmobile.
Meet the longtime high school football assistant making his on-field debut
Cole Haas is more than just an avid fan of the F.W. Johnson Wildcats football team. He's a fixture on the sidelines, a source of encouragement, and a beloved member of the team.
'Sheer excitement': Manitoba photographer snaps photo of lightning strike and double rainbow
Getting a photograph of a rainbow? Common. Getting a photo of a lightning strike? Rare. Getting a photo of both at the same time? Extremely rare, but it happened to a Manitoba photographer this week.
'It was a shock': Business pays Moncton not-for-profit's mortgage
An anonymous business owner paid off the mortgage for a New Brunswick not-for-profit.