Charles Milliard to enter race to replace Pablo Rodriguez as Quebec Liberal leader

Businessman Charles Milliard is the first candidate to announce he’s entering the race to lead the Quebec Liberal Party.

Charles Milliard says he will run for leader of the embattled Quebec Liberals for a second time, less than three weeks after Pablo Rodriguez resigned from the job amid an anti-corruption police investigation into the party.

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Milliard, born in 1979, published a video on social media on Tuesday in which he promised a renewal for the party, saying the Liberals can be a bulwark against the sovereigntist aspirations of the Parti Quebecois, and fix public services after two mandates of the Coalition Avenir Quebec.

“This leadership campaign will be about bringing a stronger Quebec, with a better economy, a transparent government and public services you can actually rely on,” he said in the video published to his X account.

The former head of the federation of Quebec chambers of commerce finished second to Rodriguez in last year’s leadership race. Rodriguez, a former federal cabinet minister, won on the second ballot, with 52.3 per cent of votes to Milliard’s 47.7 per cent.

Since then, the party has been rocked by allegations of wrongdoing that have spawned an investigation by the province’s anti-corruption police. As a result, Rodriguez resigned in December amid allegations of vote-buying and reimbursed donations during his leadership campaign. He has maintained he did nothing wrong.

The stream of embarrassing headlines included a report by Le Journal de Montreal that around 20 donors to Rodriguez’s campaign received envelopes containing $500 in cash to reimburse their donations during a fundraising event in April. That news emerged following earlier allegations of vote-buying during the leadership race.

The Canadian Press has not verified any of the allegations against the party.

In the video announcing his leadership run, Milliard said the Liberals need to become a “political force” again in order to provide an alternative to province’s other major parties. He said the governing CAQ has failed to impress Quebecers with the state of public services and a ballooning deficit.

The PQ, which is leading in the polls, has a “singular obsession” with sovereignty at a time when Quebecers are more concerned with the cost of living, health care, education and culture, he said.

“Dear friends, the renewal of the Quebec Liberal Party -- it’s happening now,” Milliard said.

The nine-week race to replace Rodriguez will officially begin on Jan. 12, and candidates will be required to collect 750 signatures from party members in good standing and pay a deposit of $30,000.

The new leader will be chosen on March 14, less than seven months before the general election scheduled for Oct. 5.

As of Tuesday morning, Milliard was the only person to declare an intention to run. Karl Blackburn, who finished in third in the last leadership contest, has said he won’t run again.

Milliard’s website says he was born in Levis, south of Quebec City, and had trained as a pharmacist. He later became a company executive and also worked for a public relations firm before becoming president and CEO of the group representing the province’s chambers of commerce.

He has previously committed to running in the Orford riding, in the Eastern Townships, in the next election.

- This report by The Canadian Press was first published Jan. 6, 2026.

-- By Morgan Lowrie in Montreal