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    • PM Trudeau names Anita Anand transport minister after Pablo Rodriguez quits cabinet

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    Prime Minister Justin Trudeau tapped Treasury Board President Anita Anand to take on additional duties as Canada's minister of transport on Thursday.

    The minor shakeup to his front bench came as a result of longtime cabinet minister Pablo Rodriguez announcing that he was quitting as a minister to run for the leadership of the Quebec Liberal Party (QLP).

    His decision to get out of Trudeau’s government also left the Liberals without a Quebec lieutenant. Minister of Procurement Jean Yves Duclos is taking over that title.

    Anand was sworn in to her new role in a brief ceremony at Rideau Hall on Thursday afternoon. Trudeau was not present, but Gov. Gen. Mary Simon was, as were a small number of staff and family members.  

    There are plans underway for a bigger shuffle in the next few months, sources tell CTV News. 

    Speaking to reporters, Anand thanked Rodriguez for his contributions but dodged questions about what his departure means for the Liberals’ political fortunes.

    “In terms of his decision, that is a decision that he made independently, and I wish him well,†she said.

    Rodriguez to sit as Independent

    While Rodriguez has vacated his seat on the front bench, he will be staying on as the MP for Honoré-Mercier, Que. In a notable move, Rodriguez has decided to sit as an Independent MP until the launch of the leadership campaign next January.

    Asked why he’s decided to stay on and separate himself in the House of Commons from the political party he’s been a part of for decades, Rodriguez said he wanted to avoid “a costly byelection†potentially months before a general election.

    “I am running as an Independent because my priorities can no longer be those of a government, a government I have always served as a good team player, but today I have to set my own priorities and advance my own vision,†he said in French.

    First elected as an MP in 2004, Rodriguez was defeated by the NDP’s Paulina Ayala during the Orange Wave of 2011.

    Rodriguez then won his seat back in 2015 and has since served in a series of cabinet roles, including as government leader in the House of Commons, and heritage minister.

    His departure – while heavily speculated over the summer – comes just days after the Liberals lost a key byelection in another Montreal riding to the Bloc Quebecois.

    The prominent Quebec politician is the latest in a growing number of high-profile Liberals moving away from team Trudeau.

    Former labour minister Seamus O’Regan announced in July he was stepping down from cabinet and would not seek re-election, and just before the fall sitting began, the Liberals’ national campaign director Jeremy Broadhurst quit.

    More than a dozen Liberal MPs have also either stepped away or have announced they won’t be running for re-election. 

    Promises to vote in Quebec’s interest

    Rodriguez’s run for the Quebec Liberal Party is to replace former leader Dominique Anglade, who stepped down in late 2022, a month after the party’s provincial election loss to Premier François Legault’s Coalition Avenir Quebec.

    Today, Legault called on Bloc Leader Yves-Francois Blanchet to when given their first chance at a motion of non-confidence next week.

    Blanchet has already said his party won’t be backing the Conservatives’ first attempt to trigger an early election. He doubled down on this position speaking to reporters on his way in to question period, saying he doesn’t see the logic in defeating Trudeau just to replace him with Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre.

    NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh then confirmed his party also would not be backing the first non-confidence motion.  

    Asked how he intends to vote as a newfound Independent MP navigating the unstable minority Parliament dynamics, Rodriguez said he will vote for policies that he thinks are “good for Quebec and for Quebecers.â€

    “It’s not about the Liberal government, this time, it's about me, my vision, what I'm going to propose… It's not about the federal government anymore. They will do what they have to do, and I will do what I have to do on my side,†Rodriguez said.

    As for the looming non-confidence vote, Rodriguez said he doesn’t want a federal election right now, so he’ll be voting against it. 

    In a statement, leadership rival Marc Bélanger welcomed Rodriguez into the race.

    "His commitment to further defending Quebec's interests, beyond what he achieved as Quebec Lieutenant, is an encouraging sign. This campaign will finally give him the opportunity to be more present on the ground, to step outside of Montreal, and to meet with Quebecers across all regions of the province,†he said in a statement.

    Members of the QLP are set to vote to elect their new leader at their party convention next June.

    With files from CTV News’ Vassy Kapelos, Brennan MacDonald, Spencer Van Dyk and Mike Le Couteur

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    CTVNews.ca ÐÇ¿Õ´«Ã½

    The University of Ottawa's special advisor on antisemitism says he has resigned following posts he made on social media celebrating the pager explosions in Lebanon this week.

    Quebec Premier Francois Legault is calling on the Bloc Quebecois to topple the Trudeau government next Wednesday and trigger a federal election.

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    Canada

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    • The Red Bridge, a historic landmark in Kamloops, B.C., was completely destroyed by fire early Thursday morning.

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    • Toronto Blue Jays shortstop Bo Bichette returned to the 10-day injured list Thursday due to a right middle finger fracture.

    Autos

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    • A Winnipeg man is asking for help after a classic car that has been a part of his family since the 1950s was stolen from his garage.

    Local Spotlight

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    • Students across York Region will once again see uniformed officers at school, however police and board officials say they will only be stopping by for the occasional safety presentation.

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    • The University of Ottawa's special advisor on antisemitism says he has resigned following posts he made on social media celebrating the pager explosions in Lebanon this week.

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    • Quebec Premier Francois Legault is calling on the Bloc Quebecois to topple the Trudeau government next Wednesday and trigger a federal election.

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    • Public services in Quebec are becoming dehumanized, warns Quebec Ombudsman Marc-André Dowd in his 2023-2024 annual report, which is filled with concrete examples.

    • The mayor of Fort Saskatchewan apologized on Thursday for comments she made earlier this week about killing feral cats.

    • Canadian National Railway will be moving its rail operations from Jasper, the town in the national park of the same name that was recently devastated by a wildfire, to Hinton, Alta., says the union representing workers.

    • A 26-year-old man was killed in an impaired driving crash in Jasper National Thursday morning, RCMP say.

    • New Brunswick Premier Blaine Higgs has called for a provincial election. Voters will go to the polls on Oct. 21, as prescribed by the province's fixed-date election law.

    • The head of a committee monitoring the government's response to the inquiry into the 2020 Nova Scotia mass killing says she's pleased with progress made so far.

    • Police are asking people to avoid the Dartmouth Commons area in Dartmouth, N.S., as they assist with a wildlife call for a bear.

    • Shamattawa RCMP are searching for a missing six-year-old boy who hasn’t been seen since Wednesday morning.

    • After a soggy, chaotic few days in Manitoba, more severe thunderstorms could be on the way to parts of the province on Thursday.

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    • Environment and Climate Change Canada (ECCC) has confirmed a tornado touched down Wednesday evening near Langbank, Sask.

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    • The Western Hockey League's (WHL) 2024-25 regular season will get underway on Friday and all five Saskatchewan squads will take to the ice on opening night. The new season is expected to bring an open door for many teams in the East Division.

    • New details have been shared about a missing family that was last seen on Sept. 1 in Kitchener, Ont.

    • Wilfrid Laurier University’s football team has an undefeated record this season and the Waterloo, Ont. team is now ranked number one in the country.

    • Ontario Provincial Police shared photos Thursday of a clandestine drug lab discovered in Walkerton.

    • Thomas Hamp says he believed secret police were out to kidnap, torture, and kill him when he fatally stabbed his girlfriend Emily Sanche in February of 2022.

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    • Police have arrested and charged two women following an armed robbery at a store in Saskatoon Thursday morning.

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    • Two men from Barrie have been charged after a deadly shooting at a park in Keswick on Wednesday.

    • A 32-year-old man is facing charges after police say his vehicle struck a child in an Owen Sound intersection.

    • Police closed an area in Orillia to investigate reports of a suspicious man walking with a gun Thursday morning.

    • SERVEONE Canada, a global procurement solution company, has begun Canadian operations in Tecumseh.

    • An active investigation is underway on Ottawa Street, east of Kildare Road.

    • Windsor firefighters responded to a vacant building fire on Wednesday night.

    • The Union of B.C. Municipalities is asking the provincial government to make transit free for teenagers.

    • An agreement between First Nations and the British Columbia government will see thousands of homes made available in Vancouver at 40-per-cent below cost.

    • The Red Bridge, a historic landmark in Kamloops, B.C., was completely destroyed by fire early Thursday morning.

    • The Red Bridge, a historic landmark in Kamloops, B.C., was completely destroyed by fire early Thursday morning.

    • Animal protection officers in British Columbia have rescued three pit bulls – including one that gave birth to 10 puppies – from a rat-infested home in Kelowna.

    • More than a year after a missing Kamloops, B.C., woman’s body was found, her son has been arrested and charged with her murder, Mounties announced Friday.

    • A Lethbridge couple got a good reminder as to why you should keep your vehicle doors locked at all times.

    • Lethbridge residents who live near the police range can expect to hear plenty of shots fired Wednesday and Thursday.

    • The City of Lethbridge's encampment response team continues to see a rise in the number of people experiencing homelessness throughout the summer months.

    • North Bay Police Service says one person has died following an industrial accident at the Ontario Northland Transportation Commission Rail Yard on Tuesday.

    • Three northern Ontario residents are charged with drug trafficking after the vehicle they were in got stuck along a bush road off Highway 17 on Monday.

    • A 50-year-old man in the Sault has been charged following an assault on Saturday that involved the use of a hammer.

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