Quebec Liberal Party electoral committee rejects Denis Coderre leadership bid

Former Montreal mayor Denis Coderre won't be able to run as a candidate to lead Quebec's Liberal Party. 

The party announced on X Friday morning that its electoral committee had found that it could not accept Coderre's leadership bid, though it did not say why. 

"Under the 2025 PLQ leadership race rules, Mr. Coderre can appeal this decision to the Arbitration Committee, provided he does so by written notice within five (5) days of this decision," the party wrote in the post.

"The electoral committee will not issue any further comments."

Coderre published a brief statement on his Facebook page, saying he'd taken note of the committee's decision — which he called "slow to be made."

"I will not comment on the subject today. I will do so at the appropriate time," Coderre wrote.

The party has been without an elected leader for more than two years. Coderre was one of the first high profile figures to announce his intention to run for the job.

Five candidates have been approved so far: lawyer Marc Bélanger, former CEO of the Fédération des chambres de commerce du Québec Charles Milliard, former federal minister Pablo Rodriguez and Mario Roy, a farmer from the Beauce region.

Liberal MNA André Fortin said Coderre's presence had boosted interest in the Liberal leadership contest, but that the party would be fine without him. 

"Whether Denis Coderre is in the race or not, there are excellent candidates," Fortin told reporters at the National Assembly Friday morning. 

The Quebec Liberals will choose their next leader in June.

La Presse reported last month that Coderre had not submitted all the documents necessary for his candidacy to the party. 

Several media outlets reported in recent months that he owed more than $130,000 in provincial taxes and more than $266,000 to the Canada Revenue Agency. Coderre said at the end of January that he had come to an agreement with the tax agencies.