OTTAWA, Ontario — Pablo Rodriguez has been named Canada’s Transport Minister as part of a large-scale reshuffling of Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s cabinet announced Wednesday.
Rodriguez replaces Omar Alghabra, who departed after announcing he would not seek reelection to Parliament [see “Canadian Transport Minister Alghabra to step down,” Trains News Wire, July 25, 2023]. Rodriguez moves into the new role after serving as minister of Canadian heritage since October 2021. Other roles under Trudeau have included chief government whip and leader of the government in the House of Commons.
The 56-year-old Rodriguez, born in Argentina, represents the Montreal riding of Honoré-Mercier. His official biography says he is “known for his work to support the fight against climate change, protect and promote culture, and promote official languages and minority rights.”
Among issues Rodriguez will inherit will be the slow-moving development of the high-frequency rail project, the planned passenger-only route between Toronto, Montreal, and Quebec City. One of Alghabra’s last acts as transport minister was to announce the three consortia that will be allowed to participate in the Request for Proposals. At that time, Alghabra both pushed back the timeline for completion of the project — now projected for the mid 2030s — and backed away from earlier estimates of C$6 billion to C$12 billion for its completion [see “Timeline for Canada’s high-frequency rail corridor grows longer,” News Wire, July 21, 2023].
Rodriguez will also have to deal with continued opposition to the government’s effort to build a bypass to reroute a Canadian Pacific line away from the site of the 2013 Lac-Mégantic, Quebec, rail disaster [see “Landowners on Lac-Mégantic bypass route seek injunction …,” News Wire, July 17, 2023].
In all, Trudeau named seven new ministers and moved a dozen others in new roles as part of the overhaul announced Wednesday, the CBC reports. That includes creation of a new position, the minister of defense and public safety.
Amen to the comments above ! Yes, an ideologue “known for his work to support the fight against climate change, protect and promote culture, and promote official languages and minority rights” will do wonders to fix the dysfunctional, broken mess that is Via-Rail Canada.
And if he flames out as Canada’s new transport minister, he can no doubt “fail-upward” and go to work for “Mayor Pete” at USDOT. Sure they can have lots of productive discussions on “climate change” and “promoting minority rights.”
Who is John Galt?
“known for his work to support the fight against climate change, protect and promote culture, and promote official languages and minority rights.” Looks highly qualified for the role, maybe AMTRAK can borrow him.
A “race to the bottom” between US and Canada in regards to Federal Transportation leadership?
Yes Steven. When our own pinhead SecDOT succeeds in closing Detroit’s I-375 Walter P. Chrysler Freeway, the two pinheads can get together to discuss how to drive from US to Canada (or return) with that road gone.