Pablo Rodriguez (Canadian politician)

Pablo Rodriguez PC (born June 21, 1967) is a Canadian-Argentine politician who represented Honoré-Mercier in the House of Commons from 2015 to 2025 and previously from 2004 to 2011. Elected as a Liberal, he previously served as the minister of Transport,^[4] minister of Canadian Heritage, the Government Chief Whip, and Leader of the Government in the House of Commons at various points from 2017 to 2024.^[5] Additionally, he was his party's Quebec lieutenant from 2019 until 2024.^[6]

The Honourable Pablo Rodriguez PC
Rodriguez in 2023
Minister of Transport
In office July 26, 2023 – September 19, 2024
Prime Minister	Justin Trudeau
Preceded by	Omar Alghabra
Succeeded by	Anita Anand
Minister of Canadian Heritage (Canadian Heritage and Multiculturalism; 2018–2019)
In office October 26, 2021 – July 26, 2023
Prime Minister	Justin Trudeau
Preceded by	Steven Guilbeault
Succeeded by	Pascale St-Onge
In office July 18, 2018 – November 20, 2019
Preceded by	Mélanie Joly
Succeeded by	Steven Guilbeault (Canadian Heritage) Marco Mendicino (Multiculturalism)
Leader of the Government in the House of Commons
In office November 20, 2019 – October 26, 2021
Prime Minister	Justin Trudeau
Preceded by	Bardish Chagger
Succeeded by	Mark Holland
Chief Government Whip
In office January 30, 2017 – August 31, 2018
Prime Minister	Justin Trudeau
Preceded by	Andrew Leslie
Succeeded by	Mark Holland
Member of Parliament for Honoré-Mercier
In office October 19, 2015 – January 20, 2025[1]
Preceded by	Paulina Ayala
In office June 28, 2004 – May 2, 2011
Preceded by	Yvon Charbonneau
Succeeded by	Paulina Ayala
Personal details
Born	(1967-06-21) June 21, 1967 (age 57) San Miguel de Tucumán, Argentina
Nationality	Canadian Argentine [2]
Political party	Quebec Liberal
Other political affiliations	Liberal Independent (2024–2025)
Spouse	Roxane Hardy
Residence(s)	Notre-Dame-de-Grâce,[3] Montreal, Quebec, Canada
Alma mater	University of Sherbrooke (BBA)
Profession	Communication consultant

Rodriguez resigned from cabinet and the federal Liberal caucus on September 19, 2024, in order to run for the leadership of the Quebec Liberal Party. He continued to sit as an MP until January 20, 2025, when the Quebec Liberal leadership campaign period began.^[7]

Early life and career

Rodriguez was born on June 21, 1967, in San Miguel de Tucumán, Argentina.^[8] When he was eight, Rodriguez's family fled to Canada after their home was bombed during the Dirty War, and his father was repeatedly jailed and tortured for his activism.^[9]

Prior to entering politics, Rodriguez, who has a degree in business administration from the University of Sherbrooke, worked in public affairs and international development for a Montreal-based NGO.^[4]

He was the Vice President of Oxfam Québec from 2000 to 2004.^[10]

Federal politics

Opposition MP

Rodriguez was elected as a Liberal to the House of Commons of Canada for the Quebec riding of Honoré-Mercier in 2004, 2006 and 2008. For most of his first stint in Parliament, he was the only Liberal representing a riding in eastern Montreal, a longstanding stronghold for the Bloc Québecois.

Rodriguez was chair of the Standing Committee on Official Languages, the Official Opposition’s Critic for of the Francophonie and Official Languages, and Critic for Public Works and Government Services Canada. He has served on many committees of the House of Commons, including the Committee of Canadian Heritage, Official Languages and the Public Accounts Committee.

On February 14, 2007, a bill Rodriguez put forward was passed by the Commons that would give the Conservative government 60 days to come up with a plan to respect Canada's engagements under the Kyoto Protocol.^{[clarification needed]}

He is the Past President of the Quebec wing of the Liberal Party of Canada.^{[citation needed]}

He was the Quebec Chair of Michael Ignatieff's candidacy in the 2006 Liberal Party of Canada leadership election.^{[citation needed]}

Criminal charge

On April 16, 2010, Rodriguez was charged under the Criminal Code of Canada, after he collided his BMW with a parked car in Montreal.^[11] Police attending the crash reported Rodriguez had bloodshot eyes and alcohol on his breath, and during attempts to administer a breathalyzer test, Rodriguez "breathed very weakly and cut his breath repeatedly, all the while holding the plastic tip at the edge of his lips".^[12]

According to Rodriguez himself, "Because I'd consumed a moderate amount of wine during the previous supper, the police officer asked me to proceed with a breathalyzer test, using a hand-held machine, which I did without hesitation".^[13]

Despite the criminal charge, Rodriguez remained in the Liberal caucus.^[14]

In the 2011 election he was defeated by the New Democratic Party's Paulina Ayala amid the New Democratic Party's surge in Quebec.

In government

Rodriguez sought a rematch with Ayala in the 2015 election. Amid a Liberal surge almost as large as the NDP's surge four years earlier, he defeated Ayala to return to Parliament.

42nd Canadian Parliament

Rodriguez served as Chief Government Whip for a year and a half from January 30, 2017.

Rodriguez served in the 42nd Canadian Parliament as the Minister of Canadian Heritage from July 18, 2018 until dissolution of that government on November 20, 2019. One of his signature initiatives at Heritage was the expansion of the Canada Periodical Fund from magazine-format monthlies to daily broadsheets. This was announced in Bill Morneau's November 21, 2018 "fiscal update" as a $600-million slush fund over five years.^[15][16] The measure was widely applauded in the press "by an eclectic group of media outlets, including Postmedia, which owns the National Post, Torstar, which publishes the Toronto Star, SaltWire Network, and the CBC among others."^[17]

43rd Canadian Parliament

Rodriguez was re-elected in the 2019 federal election.

From formation on November 20, 2019 until dissolution, Rodriguez served as Leader of the Government in the House of Commons.

44th Canadian Parliament

After the 2021 election, Rodriguez was re-appointed as Minister of Canadian Heritage on October 26, 2021.

He introduced the Online News Act, Bill C-18, An Act respecting online communications platforms that make news content available to persons in Canada.^[18] It received Royal Assent on June 22, 2023. The bill, which would force tech giants to compensate news organizations. Both Google and Meta Platforms announced their exits. The Government has dismissed the complaints of the tech giants will have to pay exorbitant amounts of money and would face uncapped liability based on how many links are posted.^[19]

In 2020, Steven Guilbeault, the Minister of Canadian Heritage at the time, proposed Bill C-10, however, due to suspension of parliament in 2021, and the call of an early election, permanently paused the bill.^[20] After Rodriguez became the Minister of Canadian Heritage, he proposed Bill C-11, the Online Streaming Act, An Act to amend the Broadcasting Act and to make related and consequential amendments to other Acts.^[21] C-11 later passed both the House of Commons and the Senate, receiving royal consent on April 27, 2023, and becoming law.^[21] C-11 amends the broadcasting act, created in 1968, by creating a framework that online broadcasters, such as Netflix, Disney+, and Spotify must follow.^[22] It expands the power of the Canadian Radio Television-Telecommunications Commission, or CRTC, giving the CRTC flexibility on how to do the regulations.^[22] The goal of C-11 is to promote Canadian Content, and extend its beliefs online.^[22][23] Proponents of C-11, such as Neal McDougall of TVO, argue that C-11 modernizes the ageing Broadcasting Act, ensuring online streamers and Canadian broadcasters play by the same rules, and promotes Canadian content and culture.^[24] However, C-11 has also been criticized, such as by Dr. Michael Geist, who argues multiple definitions were left undefined in C-11, including definitions on Canadian Content and mandated contributions.^[25]

On July 26, 2023, Rodriguez was appointed Minister of Transport.^[26]

Provincial politics

After weeks of speculation,^[27] Rodriguez announced on September 19, 2024, that he was resigning from the federal cabinet in order to run for the leadership of the Quebec Liberal Party, and would resign from the Liberal caucus to sit as an independent in order to have the flexibility to run his campaign as he saw fit.^[7] Rodriguez sat as an independent MP until officially entering the race and resigning his seat on January 20, 2025.^[1][7]

Electoral record

v t e 2021 Canadian federal election: Honoré-Mercier
Party	Candidate	Votes	%	±%	Expenditures
	Liberal	Pablo Rodríguez	29,033	60.0	+1.3	$39,670.10
	Bloc Québécois	Charlotte Lévesque-Marin	7,908	16.3	-3.5	$3,008.90
	Conservative	Guy Croteau	5,086	10.5	+0.9	$2,893.59
	New Democratic	Paulina Ayala	3,537	7.3	-0.9	$433.46
	People's	Lucilia Miranda	2,023	4.2	+3.3	$508.19
	Green	Bianca Deltorto-Russell	734	1.5	-1.2	$0.00
	Marxist–Leninist	Yves Le Seigle	88	0.2	+0.1	$0.00
Total valid votes/expense limit			48,409	98.0	–	$109,578.67
Total rejected ballots			971	2.0
Turnout			49,380	64.1
Registered voters			77,078
	Liberal hold		Swing		+2.4
Source: Elections Canada[28]

v t e 2019 Canadian federal election: Honoré-Mercier
Party	Candidate	Votes	%	±%	Expenditures
	Liberal	Pablo Rodríguez	29,543	58.66	+2.11	$45,514.73
	Bloc Québécois	Jacques Binette	9,979	19.81	+6.88	$7,951.83
	Conservative	Guy Croteau	4,808	9.55	-2.5	$3,314.94
	New Democratic	Chu Anh Pham	4,130	8.2	-8.21	none listed
	Green	Domenico Cusmano	1,373	2.73	+1.15	none listed
	People's	Patrick St-Onge	459	0.91	–	$2,885.14
	Marxist–Leninist	Yves Le Seigle	71	0.14	-0.02	$0.00
Total valid votes/expense limit			50,363	100.0
Total rejected ballots			1,013
Turnout			51,376	65.4
Eligible voters			78,549
	Liberal hold		Swing		-2.39
Source: Elections Canada[29][30]

v t e 2015 Canadian federal election: Honoré-Mercier
Party	Candidate	Votes	%	±%	Expenditures
	Liberal	Pablo Rodriguez	29,211	56.55	+23.5	$53,622.10
	New Democratic	Paulina Ayala	8,478	16.41	-18.81	$12,795.65
	Bloc Québécois	Audrey Beauséjour	6,680	12.93	-3.07	$11,516.20
	Conservative	Guy Croteau	6,226	12.05	-0.96	$3,697.33
	Green	Angela Budilean	814	1.58	-0.03	–
	Strength in Democracy	Dayana Dejean	168	0.33	–	–
	Marxist–Leninist	Yves Le Seigle	81	0.16	-0.19	–
Total valid votes/Expense limit			51,658	100.0		$213,214.66
Total rejected ballots			682	–	–
Turnout			52,340	–	–
Eligible voters			78,428
	Liberal gain from New Democratic		Swing		+17.11
Source: Elections Canada[31][32]

v t e 2011 Canadian federal election: Honoré-Mercier
Party	Candidate	Votes	%	±%	Expenditures
	New Democratic	Paulina Ayala	17,545	36.37	+26.26
	Liberal	Pablo Rodriguez	14,641	30.35	-13.32
	Bloc Québécois	Martin Laroche	8,935	18.52	-9.60
	Conservative	Gérard Labelle	5,992	12.42	-2.88
	Green	Gaëtan Bérard	770	1.60	-1.20
	Rhinoceros	Valery Chevrefils-Latulippe	181	0.38	–
	Marxist–Leninist	Jean-Paul Bédard	170	0.35	–
Total valid votes			48,234	100.00
Total rejected ballots			622	1.27	-0.06
Turnout			48,856	59.98	-2.18
	New Democratic gain from Liberal		Swing		+19.79

v t e 2008 Canadian federal election: Honoré-Mercier
Party	Candidate	Votes	%	±%	Expenditures
	Liberal	Pablo Rodríguez	21,544	43.67	+5.44	$64,461
	Bloc Québécois	Gérard Labelle	13,871	28.12	−6.71	$57,274
	Conservative	Rodrigo Alfaro	7,549	15.30	−2.14	$35,152
	New Democratic	François Pilon	4,986	10.11	+3.89	$1,499
	Green	Gaëtan Bérard	1,380	2.80	−0.13	$1,387
Total valid votes			49,330	100.00
Total rejected ballots			667	1.33
Turnout			49,997	62.16	−2.71
Electors on the lists			80,429
	Liberal hold		Swing		+6.08
Source: Official Voting Results, 40th General Election 2008, Elections Canada.

v t e 2006 Canadian federal election: Honoré-Mercier
Party	Candidate	Votes	%	±%	Expenditures
	Liberal	Pablo Rodríguez	19,622	38.23	−7.87	$62,095
	Bloc Québécois	Gérard Labelle	17,879	34.83	−5.54	$39,105
	Conservative	Angelo M. Marino	8,952	17.44	+11.42	$62,813
	New Democratic	François Pilon	3,191	6.22	+2.13	$2,374
	Green	Sylvain Castonguay	1,502	2.93	+1.16	not listed
	Marxist–Leninist	Hélène Héroux	183	0.36	+0.02	none listed
Total valid votes			51,329	100.00
Total rejected ballots			650	1.25
Turnout			51,979	64.87	+3.23
Electors on the lists			80,122
	Liberal hold		Swing		-1.17
Source: Official Voting Results, 39th General Election, Elections Canada.

v t e 2004 Canadian federal election: Honoré-Mercier
Party	Candidate	Votes	%	±%	Expenditures
	Liberal	Pablo Rodríguez	22,223	46.10	−11.76	$78,649
	Bloc Québécois	Éric St-Hilaire	19,461	40.37	+10.02	$13,063
	Conservative	Gianni Chiazzese	2,902	6.02	−2.28	$5,060
	New Democratic	François Pilon	1,973	4.09	+2.81	$885
	Green	Richard Lahaie	852	1.77	–	$0
	Marijuana	Steve Boudrias	626	1.30	−0.59	none listed
	Marxist–Leninist	Hélène Héroux	164	0.34	+0.03	none listed
Total valid votes			48,201	100.00
Total rejected ballots			854	1.74
Turnout			49,055	61.64
Electors on the lists			79,585
Note: Conservative vote is compared to the total of the Canadian Alliance vote and Progressive Conservative vote in 2000 election.
Source: Official Voting Results, Thirty-Eighth General Election, Elections Canada.
	Liberal hold		Swing		-10.89