According to sources, Champagne is not the only Quebec MP considering a run for prime minister of Canada
OTTAWA — Industry Minister François-Philippe Champagne is considering a run for Liberal leadership to replace Justin Trudeau as prime minister.
Recommended Videos
The minister’s office confirmed to National Post that Champagne is considering a run, but wants to see the party’s rules before making a decision.
“At this point, the minister hasn’t made a decision yet. Everything is on the table, at the federal level,” said his communications director Audrey Champoux.
Champagne, who is co-chairing the Liberal campaign in Quebec, has been widely considered a likely candidate to succeed Justin Trudeau. Before becoming industry minister in 2021, he previously held cabinet portfolios for foreign affairs, infrastructure and international trade.
According to a source close to the minister, Champagne believes the party would be well served by another leader from Quebec, especially with the rise of the Parti Québécois and its promise to hold a referendum on Quebec independence in a first term.
Moreover, people close to him believe he is well positioned to respond to the 25 per cent tariffs suggested by U.S. President-elect Donald J. Trump.
According to sources, Champagne is not the only Quebec MP considering a run for prime minister of Canada. Foreign Affairs Minister Mélanie Joly is also reportedly considering her options, and National Post has learned that Labour Minister and Gatineau MP Steven MacKinnon is also considering a run for the party leadership.
However, the idea of the next leader being from Quebec does not fit with the party’s tradition of alternating francophone and anglophone leaders.
“There is always an alternation, and I don’t think it’s the turn of Quebecers to become leader of the Liberal Party of Canada. I think the next leader will come from Ontario,” former provincial cabinet minister Christine St-Pierre said in an interview.
St-Pierre, who served as a cabinet minister under Quebec Premier Jean Charest, dropped a bombshell on the Quebec political scene Tuesday when she said in a Montreal radio analysis that François-Philippe Champagne was being touted as the next Liberal leader at the provincial level.
According to her, François-Philippe Champagne is “smart enough” to realize that he has “no chance of becoming the leader of the Liberal Party of Canada” because the next leader will “not be from Quebec.”
The Quebec Liberal Party will choose its next leader in June 2025 and while Champagne has closed the door on the possibility of running for the Quebec Liberals in the fall, it seems that many provincial Liberals want him to change his mind.
The fact that he has solid economic and international experience, that he is well known, and that he comes from a rural region works in his favour, according to St-Pierre.
“He is told that his place is not in Ottawa, his place is in Quebec and that he should really take into account this interest from Quebecers for his candidacy,” said St-Pierre.
St-Pierre confirmed that she spoke with Champagne and that he “has not closed the door, when I thought he had completely closed the door.”
The minister’s spokesperson confirmed that the minister has received numerous calls from his home province and that he is flattered by the interests for a provincial candidacy but Champagne does not intend to run for the leadership of the Quebec Liberal Party.
“No! No! No! He is not running for the leadership of the Quebec Liberal Party,” said Ms. Champoux. The door is closed, she said.
But for St-Pierre, this is normal behaviour for a politician’s entourage. “It reminds me a lot, a lot, a lot of when Jean Charest came to Quebec. He said no until the end,” she said.
Our website is the place for the latest breaking news, exclusive scoops, longreads and provocative commentary. Please bookmark nationalpost.com and sign up for our newsletters here.