Canada may soon have a new federal transport minister, following the expected resignation of Pablo Rodriguez, the long-serving Quebec MP who has held the post since July 2023.
Rodriguez intends to run for leadership of the provincial Liberal Party in Quebec and will not run in the next federal election, according to multiple reports. LaPress first reported the news.
“Obviously, he leaves a hole, he’s a very important member of our cabinet and our caucus,” Public Services and Procurement Minister Jean-Yves Duclos told reporters on Wednesday.
Ottawa has yet to announce Rodriguez’s successor, and it’s unclear if Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is planning a larger cabinet shuffle as the federal Conservatives seek to topple the government following the end of its confidence and support agreement with the NDP.
Rodriguez shouldered the transport portfolio after his predecessor, Omar Alghabra, announced he will not run in the next federal election.
Alghabra entered the role in 2021, at the height of the Covid-19 pandemic, in a shuffle that moved Quebec MP Marc Garneau, a former astronaut, to Canada’s foreign affairs ministry.
Garneau served as transport minister starting in 2015, as part of the red wave that swept Trudeau into power.
Covid-19 was a time of extreme turmoil in Canada’s aviation industry, but the sector has bounced back remarkably, with strong and rising demand for air travel.
Under Rodriguez, the government’s spending priorities included funding for improvements to northern airports and increased cargo capacity at major hubs in Vancouver and Winnipeg.
Rodriguez also oversaw the conclusion of a new air transport agreement with Argentina, and recently touted Canada’s strengths in aerospace at the Farnborough International Airshow in the U.K.
His successor will face an ongoing shortage of pilots and maintainers, and potential labour strife as pilots and other industry groups seek new contracts.
