Pablo Rodríguez (Canadian politician)

Pablo Rodríguez PC MP (born June 21, 1967) is a Canadian politician who currently serves as a Member of Parliament, representing the riding of Honoré-Mercier. Since November 20, 2019, Rodríguez has served as Leader of the Government in the House of Commons. Rodríguez previously served as the Minister of Canadian Heritage.[1]

The Honourable Pablo Rodríguez PC MP
Leader of the Government in the House of Commons
Incumbent
Assumed office November 20, 2019
Prime Minister	Justin Trudeau
Preceded by	Bardish Chagger
Minister of Canadian Heritage
In office July 18, 2018 – November 20, 2019
Prime Minister	Justin Trudeau
Preceded by	Mélanie Joly
Succeeded by	Steven Guilbeault
Chief Government Whip
In office January 30, 2017 – August 31, 2018
Prime Minister	Justin Trudeau
Preceded by	Andrew Leslie
Succeeded by	Mark Holland
Member of the Canadian Parliament for Honoré-Mercier
Incumbent
Assumed office October 19, 2015
Preceded by	Paulina Ayala
In office June 28, 2004 – May 2, 2011
Preceded by	Yvon Charbonneau
Succeeded by	Paulina Ayala
Personal details
Born	(1967-06-21) June 21, 1967 San Miguel de Tucumán, Argentina
Political party	Liberal
Spouse(s)	Roxane Hardy
Residence	Montreal, Quebec, Canada
Profession	Communication consultant

Early life and career

Rodríguez was born on June 21, 1967 in San Miguel de Tucumán, Argentina.[2] When he was eight, Rodríguez's family fled to Canada after their home was bombed during the Dirty War after his father was repeatedly jailed and tortured for his activism.[3]

Prior to entering politics, Rodríguez, who has a degree in business administration from the University of Sherbrooke, had worked for over twelve years in the fields of public affairs and management of international projects.

Throughout his career, Rodríguez has dedicated much of his time to humanitarian causes. His work particularly focused on helping developing countries and the eradication of poverty. He was the Vice President of Oxfam Québec from 2000 to 2004.[4]

Federal politics

Rodríguez was elected as a Liberal to the House of Commons of Canada for the Quebec riding of Honoré-Mercier in 2004, 2006 and 2008. For most of his first stint in Parliament, he was the only Liberal representing a riding in eastern Montreal, a longstanding stronghold for the Bloc Québecois.

Rodríguez was Chair of the Standing Committee on Official Languages, the Official Opposition’s Critic for of the Francophonie and Official Languages, and Critic for Public Works and Government Services Canada. He has served on many committees of the House of Commons, including the Committee of Canadian Heritage, Official Languages and the Public Accounts Committee.

On February 14, 2007, a bill Rodríguez put forward was passed by the Commons that would give the Conservative government 60 days to come up with a plan to respect Canada's engagements under the Kyoto Protocol.

He is the Past President of the Quebec wing of the Liberal Party of Canada.

He was the Quebec Chair of Michael Ignatieff's candidacy in the 2006 Liberal Party of Canada leadership election.

In the 2011 election he was defeated by the New Democratic Party's Paulina Ayala amid the NDP's surge in Quebec. Rodríguez sought a rematch in the 2015 election. Amid a Liberal surge almost as large as the NDP's surge four years earlier, he defeated Ayala to return to Parliament.

Electoral record

2019 Canadian federal election: Honoré-Mercier
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%	Expenditures
	Liberal	Pablo Rodríguez	29,543	58.66	+2.11
	Bloc Québécois	Jacques Binette	9,979	19.81	+6.88
	Conservative	Guy Croteau	4,808	9.55	-2.5
	New Democratic	Chu Anh Pham	4,130	8.2	-8.21
	Green	Domenico Cusmano	1,373	2.73	+1.15
	People's	Patrick St-Onge	459	0.91	–
	Marxist–Leninist	Yves Le Seigle	71	0.14	-0.02
Total valid votes/Expense limit			50,363	100.0
Total rejected ballots			1,013
Turnout			51,376	65.4
Eligible voters			78,549
Source: Elections Canada[5][6]

2015 Canadian federal election: Honoré-Mercier
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%	Expenditures
	Liberal	Pablo Rodríguez	29,211	56.55	+23.5	$53,622.10
	New Democratic	Paulina Ayala	8,478	16.41	-18.81	$12,795.65
	Bloc Québécois	Audrey Beauséjour	6,680	12.93	-3.07	$11,516.20
	Conservative	Guy Croteau	6,226	12.05	-0.96	$3,697.33
	Green	Angela Budilean	814	1.58	-0.03	–
	Strength in Democracy	Dayana Dejean	168	0.33	–	–
	Marxist–Leninist	Yves Le Seigle	81	0.16	-0.19	–
Total valid votes/Expense limit			51,658	100.0		$213,214.66
Total rejected ballots			682	–	–
Turnout			52,340	–	–
Eligible voters			78,428
	Liberal gain from New Democratic		Swing		+17.11
Source: Elections Canada[7][8]

2011 Canadian federal election: Honoré-Mercier
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%	Expenditures
	New Democratic	Paulina Ayala	17,545	36.37	+26.26
	Liberal	Pablo Rodríguez	14,641	30.35	-13.32
	Bloc Québécois	Martin Laroche	8,935	18.52	-9.60
	Conservative	Gérard Labelle	5,992	12.42	-2.88
	Green	Gaëtan Bérard	770	1.60	-1.20
	Rhinoceros	Valery Chevrefils-Latulippe	181	0.38	–
	Marxist–Leninist	Jean-Paul Bédard	170	0.35	–
Total valid votes			48,234	100.00
Total rejected ballots			622	1.27	-0.06
Turnout			48,856	59.98	-2.18
	New Democratic gain from Liberal		Swing		+19.79

2008 Canadian federal election: Honoré-Mercier
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%	Expenditures
	Liberal	Pablo Rodríguez	21,544	43.67	+5.44	$64,461
	Bloc Québécois	Gérard Labelle	13,871	28.12	−6.71	$57,274
	Conservative	Rodrigo Alfaro	7,549	15.30	−2.14	$35,152
	New Democratic	François Pilon	4,986	10.11	+3.89	$1,499
	Green	Gaëtan Bérard	1,380	2.80	−0.13	$1,387
Total valid votes			49,330	100.00
Total rejected ballots			667	1.33
Turnout			49,997	62.16	−2.71
Electors on the lists			80,429
	Liberal hold		Swing		+6.08
Source: Official Voting Results, 40th General Election 2008, Elections Canada.

2006 Canadian federal election: Honoré-Mercier
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%	Expenditures
	Liberal	Pablo Rodríguez	19,622	38.23	−7.87	$62,095
	Bloc Québécois	Gérard Labelle	17,879	34.83	−5.54	$39,105
	Conservative	Angelo M. Marino	8,952	17.44	+11.42	$62,813
	New Democratic	François Pilon	3,191	6.22	+2.13	$2,374
	Green	Sylvain Castonguay	1,502	2.93	+1.16	not listed
	Marxist–Leninist	Hélène Héroux	183	0.36	+0.02	none listed
Total valid votes			51,329	100.00
Total rejected ballots			650	1.25
Turnout			51,979	64.87	+3.23
Electors on the lists			80,122
	Liberal hold		Swing		+2.33
Source: Official Voting Results, 39th General Election, Elections Canada.

2004 Canadian federal election: Honoré-Mercier
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%	Expenditures
	Liberal	Pablo Rodríguez	22,223	46.10	−11.76	$78,649
	Bloc Québécois	Éric St-Hilaire	19,461	40.37	+10.02	$13,063
	Conservative	Gianni Chiazzese	2,902	6.02	−2.28	$5,060
	New Democratic	François Pilon	1,973	4.09	+2.81	$885
	Green	Richard Lahaie	852	1.77	–	$0
	Marijuana	Steve Boudrias	626	1.30	−0.59	none listed
	Marxist–Leninist	Hélène Héroux	164	0.34	+0.03	none listed
Total valid votes			48,201	100.00
Total rejected ballots			854	1.74
Turnout			49,055	61.64
Electors on the lists			79,585
Note: Conservative vote is compared to the total of the Canadian Alliance vote and Progressive Conservative vote in 2000 election.
Source: Official Voting Results, Thirty-Eighth General Election, Elections Canada.
	Liberal hold		Swing		+10.89

References

1. Wright Allen, Samantha (July 25, 2018). "Rodriguez, Tassi staying as government whips for now, changes expected soon". The Hill Times. Retrieved August 2, 2018.
2. "RODRIGUEZ, The Hon. Pablo, P.C., B.A.A." Library of Parliament.
3. Press, Jordan (November 18, 2016). "Trudeau's emotional visit to Argentine memorial renews focus on human rights". CTVNews. Canadian Press. Retrieved April 24, 2017.
4. "Pablo Rodriguez". LinkedIn. July 18, 2018. Retrieved July 18, 2018.
5. "List of confirmed candidates". Elections Canada. Retrieved October 3, 2019.
6. "Election Night Results". Elections Canada. Retrieved November 11, 2019.
7. Elections Canada – Confirmed candidates for Honoré-Mercier, 30 September 2015
8. Elections Canada – Preliminary Election Expenses Limits for Candidates Archived 2015-08-15 at the Wayback Machine

External links

• Pablo Rodríguez – Parliament of Canada biography
• Official website of Pablo Rodríguez
• Bio & mandate from the Prime Minister

29th Ministry – Cabinet of Justin Trudeau
Cabinet post (1)
Predecessor	Office	Successor
Mélanie Joly	Minister of Canadian Heritage and Multiculturalism July 18, 2018 – November 20, 2019	Steven Guilbeault