Charles Milliard, Mario Roy to enter Quebec Liberal leadership race
Posted January 6, 2026 9:11 am.
Last Updated January 6, 2026 6:10 pm.
Charles Milliard, who finished second in the last Quebec Liberal Party (PLQ) leadership race, is vowing to throw his hat into the ring once again.
The former head of the Quebec Federation of Chambers of Commerce announced Tuesday morning in a video posted online that he is entering the race to succeed Pablo Rodriguez.
“I am coming back to you because I know the party, because I know what needs to be done to bring us together and win back the people of Quebec,” he argued in his video shared on social media.
“And I do it also because I want to fight, to fight for you and with you.”
With less than a year until the next election, the Liberals find themselves leaderless once again, following Rodriguez’s resignation before the holidays. The former Liberal leader had been embroiled in several allegations concerning his leadership bid.
In his video, Milliard stressed that the PLQ needed to “become an indispensable political force again” in Quebec. “Dear friends, the renewal of the Quebec Liberal Party is happening now,” he added.
In the last race which concluded last June, Milliard had Rodriguez in second place, with 47.7 per cent of the points, compared to 52.3 per cent for the one who had become leader.
After his defeat, Milliard announced his intention to run in the next Quebec election in Orford, in the Eastern Townships. This riding is currently represented by CAQ minister Gilles Bélanger.
PLQ president Rafael Primeau-Ferraro described Milliard as a “very good candidate.”
“Milliard began the race and he didn’t have much recognition, not only in the public, but also in the membership of our own party,” he said. “After a couple of months, he was able to finish the leadership race with a result that almost gave him the victory.”
“I think he was one of the great revelations in 2025 for Quebec politics. He has a great profile and I believe he’s a very good, he’s actually a very good politician and has a great prospect future in front of him.”
Alain-G. Gagnon, a tenured professor in the political science department at the University of Quebec at Montreal (UQAM), said he felt that Milliard had “the wind in his sails.”
“The support he received last time was still substantial,” argued Gagnon, who also holds the Canada Research Chair in Quebec and Canadian Studies.
He specifies that Milliard represents an important element within the PLQ: Quebec’s Francophonie.
“I think it could work in his favour going forward, we’ll have to see. The Quebec Liberal Party is really based, its strongholds are really in Montreal. So, having someone like Millard would allow the Liberal Party to seek support among Francophones outside the metropolis,” the professor explained.
McGill University political science professor Daniel Béland says Milliard has not been a career politician, which represents something different for the party than Rodriguez.
“Charles Milliard is, I would say, a businessman, someone from the business sector,” Béland explained. “By training is a pharmacist, but he’s not that well known from the general public.”
“In terms of name recognition, I think he’s maybe better known within the francophone world than the anglophone and allophone world, so he will need to work on that. I think that it’s possible. I think people will get to know him.”
Mario Roy, a Beauce farmer and economist, also announced he is running to be the next Quebec Liberal Party leader. He ran in last year’s leadership race, finishing out of the top three.
“I want to run in this race again for the second time, for the same reason why I ran for this first one, which is that the PLQ absolutely need to renew themselves with a new leader that will be able to bring the region, all the regions, all together,” Roy said.
“So Montreal with the rest of Quebec and unite Quebec for the next election.”
A new leader in March
The new Liberal leader will be chosen at a party convention on March 14. The leadership race will officially begin next Monday, and those wishing to run for the position will have until 5 p.m. on Feb. 13 to declare their interest.
The nine-week race to replace him 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.
Milliard is the only one to have come forward so far. The former president of the employers’ council, Karl Blackburn, has already announced that he will not be running.
The party announced Monday that it would this time have a “compliance and ethics officer” during the race to ensure, in particular, compliance with the Election Act regarding financing in the context of its new leadership race.
Lawyer Julien Morissette will have “the task of ensuring compliance with the Electoral Law, particularly with regard to soliciting contributions.”
A crisis lasting several weeks
The Quebec Liberal Party has been shaken by a major crisis in recent weeks and after several calls for his resignation, leader Rodriguez finally threw in the towel on Dec. 18.
A few days before Rodriguez’s departure, “Le Journal de Montréal” alleged that about 20 donors to the former leader’s campaign had their $500 contributions refunded at a fundraising event — an illegal practice under the Election Act.
The disruptions were triggered by the decision of former Liberal parliamentary leader Marwah Rizqy to dismiss her chief of staff, Geneviève Hinse, a close associate of Rodriguez. Rodriguez retaliated by suspending Rizqy from the Liberal caucus, arguing that she had not informed him of her decision beforehand.
After promising to fight at the end of the parliamentary session, Rodriguez ultimately resigned, saying he had become a “distraction” for his party.
“I think it’s challenging for not just the person who will become the leader, Charles Milliard or someone else, but also for the Liberal Party of Quebec because of all the allegations that we found in the press and so forth in recent months,” Béland said. “And that is not helpful for the party. So the new leader will have to send a message about the integrity of the party and about the fact that this is in a way a new Liberal Party of Quebec under new management.”
–With files from La Presse Canadienne
