Quebec Premier Paul St-Pierre Plamondon said his meeting with Prime Minister Mark Carney at the Francophonie summit in Cambodia on Sunday was pleasant and productive.
“It was a very pleasant and funny meeting. We certainly share a sense of humour,” St-Pierre Plamondon wrote on social media.
St-Pierre Plamondon wrote that the two found common ground on several issues, including homelessness. He said Carney confirmed the federal government would work with Quebec by allowing the province to choose the projects and ensuring funding is coordinated through the summit Quebec is organizing.
“This is excellent news because we can move forward on this fundamental issue, which is very important to Quebec,” St-Pierre Plamondon wrote.
St-Pierre Plamondon said economy and foreign trade ministers from Francophonie countries, along with businesses, have been invited to a major gathering in Quebec City in 2027 aimed at advancing the Francophonie economically.
“The very next day, we saw Canada’s willingness to cooperate, as Mark Carney confirmed that he supports holding this gathering and that he backs us. This is excellent news for Quebec’s economy: we have just launched a genuine diversification initiative built on what makes Quebec different,” St-Pierre Plamondon wrote.
The two leaders also discussed the current situation with the U.S., as well as several other issues.
“We have opened a channel of communication and on which we will follow up. To make communication easier, we exchanged phone numbers and agreed to meet again in the coming weeks. It was therefore a successful and constructive first meeting,” St-Pierre Plamondon wrote.
The meeting comes after St-Pierre Plamondon did not attend the Canada-European Union summit in Montreal in October, citing concerns that Quebec’s interests would not be represented without an official opportunity to speak.
Carney said St-Pierre Plamondon was invited to the head table at the dinner, alongside European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and European Council President Antonio Costa. He also said St-Pierre Plamondon chose to leave “an empty chair.”
St-Pierre Plamondon responded on social media, saying Carney’s proposal to allow him to sit at the head table amounts to “asking Quebec to fall in line.”
He later accepted Carney’s invitation to meet, insisting that the meeting take place in Quebec City.
