Quebec Liberal Party leadership candidates, from left, Marc Belanger, Mario Roy, Charles Milliard, Pablo Rodriguez and Karl Blackburn pose for a photograph following the Quebec Liberal Party French-language leadership debate in Laval, Que., Saturday, May 3, 2025. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Christopher Katsarov
LAVAL — Several candidates for the leadership of the Quebec Liberal Party say they’re open to fossil-fuel projects in the province as a means to boost Canada’s energy independence.
In Laval, Que. on Saturday, energy development played a central role in a leadership debate focused on the province’s economy. Karl Blackburn, former president of a Quebec employers group, said he would send a “clear message” that the province is ready to consider oil and gas projects “in a geopolitical world that has completely changed.”
He said Quebec is heavily reliant on oil and gas that travels through the United States, which he said is a risk given the threats to Canada from President Donald Trump.
“We must, of course, remain committed to our values… to sustainable development and the fight against climate change,” he said. “But we must also strive for energy independence.”
Former federal minister Pablo Rodriguez also said Quebec will need to look at east-west energy projects, including possible oil and natural gas pipelines. Still, he said all projects will have to respect environmental norms and have social acceptability.
“I think we need to be open to all of this today,” he said. “One thing has fundamentally changed: the United States… that great friend we had, no longer exists.”
Quebec has traditionally been staunchly opposed to pipeline development on its territory, but Premier François Legault has recently suggested that may be changing in the face of Trump’s economic threats.
- 0091 WBPC_2025_30_SEC_PROMO_RANJITH0091 WBPC_2025_30_SEC_PROMO_RANJITH
- 0090 WBPC_2025_30_SECOND_PROMO_DAN0090 WBPC_2025_30_SECOND_PROMO_DAN
- 0089 WBPC_2025_30_SEC_PROMO_ERIK0089 WBPC_2025_30_SEC_PROMO_ERIK
- 0046 City of Estevan This is Estevan Teaser0046 City of Estevan This is Estevan Teaser
- 0088 WBPC_2025_30SEC_PROMO0088 WBPC_2025_30SEC_PROMO
- 0087 Lori Carr Coal Expansion0087 Lori Carr Coal Expansion
- 0086 Sask Gov Oil and Gas Incentive Programs0086 Sask Gov Oil and Gas Incentive Programs
- 0085 Turnbull snow removal call office0085 Turnbull snow removal call office
- 0084 EMP Metals Pipeline Online0084 EMP Metals Pipeline Online
- 0077 Caprice Resources Stand Up For Free Speech0077 Caprice Resources Stand Up For Free Speech
- 0076 Latus only0076 Latus only
- 0061 SIMSA 2024 For Sask Buy Sask0061 SIMSA 2024 For Sask Buy Sask
- 0055 Smart Power Be Smart with your Power office0055 Smart Power Be Smart with your Power office
- 0051 JML Hiring Pumpjack assembly0051 JML Hiring Pumpjack assembly
- 0049 Scotsburn Dental soft guitar0049 Scotsburn Dental soft guitar
- 0041 DEEP Since 2018 now we are going to build0041 DEEP Since 2018 now we are going to build
- 0032 IWS Summer hiring rock trailer music
- 0022 Grimes winter hiring
- 0021 OSY Rentals S8 Promo
- 0018 IWS Hiring Royal Summer
- 0013 Panther Drilling PO ad 03 top drive rigs
- 0011
- 0006 JK Junior
- 0002 gilliss casing services0002 gilliss casing services
- 9002 Pipeline Online 30 sec EBEX9002 Pipeline Online 30 sec EBEX
- 9001
In February, Legault said if a new pipeline were proposed, his Coalition Avenir Québec government would consider it.
On Saturday, however, Rodriguez said any such development would require the Quebec government to “believe in Canada,” and argued Legault has no interest in working with other provinces.
Fellow leadership candidate Charles Milliard, former head of the federation of Quebec chambers of commerce, took a more cautious approach to the issue. He said he’s open to energy development, but pointed out there are currently no major fossil-fuel projects under consideration.
“When we ask politicians whether they agree or not with a project, the project must exist,” he said.
One candidate, economist and farmer Mario Roy, said he would end Quebec’s cap-and-trade program, which he said is making local businesses uncompetitive. Quebec’s carbon pricing scheme has been under scrutiny since Prime Minister Mark Carney scrapped the federal carbon tax in April, though no major political party in the province has come out against it.
Responding to questions from journalists after the debate, Blackburn, Rodriguez and Milliard — the likely frontrunners in the leadership race — all said they support the cap-and-trade system.
The final contender, international trade lawyer Marc Bélanger, said Quebec must exploit its natural resources to enrich the province. The Quebec government passed legislation in 2022 banning oil and gas production.
- 0091 WBPC_2025_30_SEC_PROMO_RANJITH0091 WBPC_2025_30_SEC_PROMO_RANJITH
- 0090 WBPC_2025_30_SECOND_PROMO_DAN0090 WBPC_2025_30_SECOND_PROMO_DAN
- 0089 WBPC_2025_30_SEC_PROMO_ERIK0089 WBPC_2025_30_SEC_PROMO_ERIK
- 0046 City of Estevan This is Estevan Teaser0046 City of Estevan This is Estevan Teaser
- 0088 WBPC_2025_30SEC_PROMO0088 WBPC_2025_30SEC_PROMO
- 0087 Lori Carr Coal Expansion0087 Lori Carr Coal Expansion
- 0086 Sask Gov Oil and Gas Incentive Programs0086 Sask Gov Oil and Gas Incentive Programs
- 0085 Turnbull snow removal call office0085 Turnbull snow removal call office
- 0084 EMP Metals Pipeline Online0084 EMP Metals Pipeline Online
- 0077 Caprice Resources Stand Up For Free Speech0077 Caprice Resources Stand Up For Free Speech
- 0076 Latus only0076 Latus only
- 0061 SIMSA 2024 For Sask Buy Sask0061 SIMSA 2024 For Sask Buy Sask
- 0055 Smart Power Be Smart with your Power office0055 Smart Power Be Smart with your Power office
- 0051 JML Hiring Pumpjack assembly0051 JML Hiring Pumpjack assembly
- 0049 Scotsburn Dental soft guitar0049 Scotsburn Dental soft guitar
- 0041 DEEP Since 2018 now we are going to build0041 DEEP Since 2018 now we are going to build
- 0032 IWS Summer hiring rock trailer music
- 0022 Grimes winter hiring
- 0021 OSY Rentals S8 Promo
- 0018 IWS Hiring Royal Summer
- 0013 Panther Drilling PO ad 03 top drive rigs
- 0011
- 0006 JK Junior
- 0002 gilliss casing services0002 gilliss casing services
- 9002 Pipeline Online 30 sec EBEX9002 Pipeline Online 30 sec EBEX
- 9001
The Quebec Liberals are hoping the leadership race will reinvigorate the party, which has been languishing for years, with dismal polling among francophone voters. On Saturday, the candidates claimed Legault’s time is up and said they would reclaim the Liberals’ status from the CAQ as the party of the economy.
Legault’s government recently tabled a budget with a record $13.6-billion deficit. Last month, ratings agency S&P Global downgraded Quebec’s credit rating from AA- to A+.
“The (Liberals have) a date with history,” Milliard said. “The (party) must prove that it can constitute an alternative to the CAQ government, which is so worn out and tired.”
Milliard, a political newcomer, positioned himself as a “breath of fresh air,” while Blackburn, who was a member of the provincial legislature during the government of former Liberal premier Jean Charest, said he would help the party reconnect with the regions outside Montreal.
Rodriguez leaned on his experience as a federal minister, saying he knows how to deliver for Quebec. But his rivals at times pointed to his close connection with former prime minister Justin Trudeau as a liability.
Legault’s nationalist party has declined in the polls since forming government in 2018, and the sovereigntist Parti Québécois has been leading for well over a year.
Saturday’s debate was the first of six before Liberal members choose their new leader on June 14. The next provincial election is set for October 2026.
– By Maura Forrest in Montreal, with files from Thomas Laberge in Laval
This report by The Canadian Press was first published May 3, 2025.
The Canadian Press
- 0091 WBPC_2025_30_SEC_PROMO_RANJITH0091 WBPC_2025_30_SEC_PROMO_RANJITH
- 0090 WBPC_2025_30_SECOND_PROMO_DAN0090 WBPC_2025_30_SECOND_PROMO_DAN
- 0089 WBPC_2025_30_SEC_PROMO_ERIK0089 WBPC_2025_30_SEC_PROMO_ERIK
- 0046 City of Estevan This is Estevan Teaser0046 City of Estevan This is Estevan Teaser
- 0088 WBPC_2025_30SEC_PROMO0088 WBPC_2025_30SEC_PROMO
- 0087 Lori Carr Coal Expansion0087 Lori Carr Coal Expansion
- 0086 Sask Gov Oil and Gas Incentive Programs0086 Sask Gov Oil and Gas Incentive Programs
- 0085 Turnbull snow removal call office0085 Turnbull snow removal call office
- 0084 EMP Metals Pipeline Online0084 EMP Metals Pipeline Online
- 0077 Caprice Resources Stand Up For Free Speech0077 Caprice Resources Stand Up For Free Speech
- 0076 Latus only0076 Latus only
- 0061 SIMSA 2024 For Sask Buy Sask0061 SIMSA 2024 For Sask Buy Sask
- 0055 Smart Power Be Smart with your Power office0055 Smart Power Be Smart with your Power office
- 0051 JML Hiring Pumpjack assembly0051 JML Hiring Pumpjack assembly
- 0049 Scotsburn Dental soft guitar0049 Scotsburn Dental soft guitar
- 0041 DEEP Since 2018 now we are going to build0041 DEEP Since 2018 now we are going to build
- 0032 IWS Summer hiring rock trailer music
- 0022 Grimes winter hiring
- 0021 OSY Rentals S8 Promo
- 0018 IWS Hiring Royal Summer
- 0013 Panther Drilling PO ad 03 top drive rigs
- 0011
- 0006 JK Junior
- 0002 gilliss casing services0002 gilliss casing services
- 9002 Pipeline Online 30 sec EBEX9002 Pipeline Online 30 sec EBEX
- 9001