Former Quebec minister Carlos Leitão to run for federal Liberals in Laval

Carlos Leitão, then MNA for the Quebec Liberal Party, reacts to the annual report of the Auditor General of Quebec at the National Assembly in Quebec City, Monday, Aug. 15, 2022. (Francis Vachon/The Canadian Press) (FRANCIS VACHON/The Canadian Press)

The former Quebec finance minister under the Couillard government, Carlos Leitão, plans to run for the Liberal Party of Canada in the federal election due to be called shortly.

The information was confirmed to The Canadian Press by a Liberal source who was not authorized to speak publicly.

According to the same source, Leitão is due to run in the Laval riding of Marc-Aurèle-Fortin. This riding is currently represented by Liberal Yves Robillard.

This will be a return to active politics for Leitão. He was an MNA for the Quebec Liberal Party (PLQ) from 2014 to 2022 in the West Island riding of Robert-Baldwin.

Twice elected with strong majorities, Leitão was finance minister throughout the mandate of Philippe Couillard’s government from 2014 to 2018. He was also Chair of the Conseil du trésor from April 2016 to January 2017.

He has decided not to seek re-election in the October 2022 provincial election. More recently, he took a stand in the PLQ leadership race. He had supported the candidacy of Frédéric Beauchemin, who ultimately sided with former federal minister Pablo Rodriguez.

A native of Portugal, Leitão was an economist at the Royal Bank of Canada from 1983 to 2003 and then Chief Economist of Laurentian Bank Securities until 2014.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published in French in March 19, 2025.