Melanie Joly rules out run for Quebec Liberal leadership

Industry Minister Melanie Joly discusses Canada’s ongoing trade talks with the U.S. the lack of sectoral tariff relief as CUSMA negotiations loom.

Industry Minister Melanie Joly, a prominent Liberal MP in Quebec, is ruling out a run for the provincial Liberal leadership, but insists she will be dedicating a lot of time and energy next year to pushing back against a potential referendum to leave Canada.

Pablo Rodriquez, a former federal cabinet minister who served alongside Joly from 2018 to 2024, resigned this week as leader of the Quebec Liberal party, after being embroiled in an evolving breach of trust controversy that’s led to an ongoing criminal probe over an alleged cash-for-votes scheme in his leadership campaign.

“Listen, I’ve received many calls, many texts, a lot of people that have been pushing me to go, but my job is to be the minister of industry. So I’ve said, no,” Joly told CTV’s Power Play Thursday.

When asked by CTV Chief Political Correspondent Vassy Kapelos if she’s worried about a potential referendum, Joly said she’s taking the situation “extremely seriously” and has been on the front lines of the Quebec sovereignty issue for years.

Joly said Quebec independence would not benefit Quebecers and would impact the entire Canadian economy.

“I will make sure that the federalist views and the importance of being part of Canada is well heard,” added Joly. “This is certainly something that I will be dedicating a lot of time and energy in the next year.”

Quebecers will vote next October in a provincial general election, and according to polls, the separatist Parti Québécois (PQ) is expected to secure a majority government.

According to polling aggregator 338 Canada, the Quebec Liberals are polling in second place, followed by the current governing party, Premier François Legault’s Coalition Avenir Québec.

PQ Leader Paul St-Pierre Plamondon has promised to hold a referendum by 2030 should his party form government.

The PQ launched two referendums on Quebec sovereignty in the past, losing both votes.