MONTREAL — Quebec’s anti-corruption police have launched a criminal investigation of the provincial Liberal party, prompting some Liberals to voice doubts about the continued leadership of former federal cabinet minister Pablo Rodriguez.
The Liberals are facing allegations of possible vote-buying during a leadership race earlier this year that saw Rodriguez take the reins of the party.
On Wednesday, a defiant Rodriguez told reporters he is “absolutely” staying on as leader, despite multiple investigations related to the campaign he won in June. “I was duly elected by the members,” he said. “I have nothing to reproach myself for.”
Emerging from a caucus meeting later in the day, Liberal members of the provincial legislature put on a united front. “We are unanimous in our support for our leader,” Marc Tanguay, the party’s chief whip, told reporters. “We will get through this, and we have a job to do.”
But outside the caucus, some Liberals are now openly questioning whether Rodriguez can survive an internal crisis that has dogged the party for the past three weeks. Karl Blackburn, one of Rodriguez’s leadership rivals, told Radio-Canada on Wednesday that the leader needs to reflect on his own future and that of the party.
He said the Liberals are now “in a worse situation” than they were in June, with less than a year to go until the next provincial election.
Last month, in the early days of the controversy, Blackburn expressed his support for Rodriguez. But on Wednesday, he didn’t rule out the possibility of running to replace him should he step aside.
The Liberal caucus was thrown into turmoil in November after former parliamentary leader Marwah Rizqy fired her chief of staff without consulting Rodriguez. He later expelled her from the caucus, saying she had not explained her reasons to him and that she lacked loyalty.
Shortly after Rizqy dismissed her chief of staff, Le Journal de Montréal published text messages suggesting some party members who voted for Rodriguez could have received cash rewards. It’s unclear whether the two stories are connected.
A spokesperson for Quebec’s anti-corruption unit on Wednesday confirmed an investigation has begun, but did not offer details about the nature of the probe.
“We will not issue any further comments in order to protect our actions as much as possible and to respect the rights of those involved,” said Mathieu Galarneau. “A criminal investigation must remain confidential, and we wish to let our investigators do their work.”
Last Thursday, Rodriguez announced he had expelled a second Liberal member of the legislature, Sona Lakhoyan Olivier, from his caucus because of an investigation by Quebec’s ethics commissioner.
The office of the ethics commissioner said it would examine whether Lakhoyan Olivier used resources from her constituency office for partisan purposes during the leadership race.
Montreal radio station 98.5 FM named Lakhoyan Olivier as one of the two people behind the text messages reported by Le Journal de Montréal, but she has denied that claim and has sent a legal letter to station owner Cogeco.
The Canadian Press has not verified whether the text messages were authentic.
On Wednesday, Rodriguez said he welcomes the anti-corruption unit’s investigation. “We want to make sure we have the truth and the whole truth,” he said. “And if anyone has done anything wrong, they should face all the consequences, both legal and within the party.”
The anti-corruption police first revealed last month they were validating allegations of wrongdoing before deciding whether to open an investigation of the Quebec Liberals. Rodriguez has separately asked a retired judge to investigate the claims.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Dec. 10, 2025.
Maura Forrest, The Canadian Press
