Key Trudeau ally to leave post as Quebec lieutenant, says newspaper

OTTAWA (Reuters) - Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's lieutenant in Quebec will soon quit his post, La Presse newspaper said on Wednesday, two days after the ruling Liberals lost a safe Parliamentary seat in the province.

Pablo Rodriguez, who is also transport minister, intends to announce on Thursday that he is running to lead the provincial Liberal party in Quebec, the paper cited sources as saying. He has been Quebec lieutenant since late 2019.

Quebec, the second most populous of the 10 provinces, is crucial to the fortunes of the Liberals, who trail badly in opinion polls ahead of a federal election that must be held by the end of October 2025.

The Liberals, who hold 34 of the province's 78 seats in the 338-seat House of Commons, narrowly lost a safe Montreal seat on Monday, putting more pressure on Trudeau.

A spokesperson for Rodriguez was not immediately available for comment.

Polls show Quebec's center-right provincial CAQ government trailing the separatist Parti Quebecois, which is promising to hold a referendum on breaking away from Canada if it wins the next election, which must be held by early October 2026.

The Liberals are in third place. Local party officials say they are confident that as voters tire of the CAQ, they will switch to the Liberals rather than vote for separatists.

(Reporting by David Ljunggren)