Quebec Premier Clashes With Mark Carney Over EU Summit

Quebec Premier Paul St-Pierre Plamondon accused Prime Minister Mark Carney of muzzling the province ahead of a Canada-European Union summit scheduled for October 29-30 in Montreal. St-Pierre Plamondon claimed the federal government rejected his request to speak at the event and denied a provincial request to host a sideline reception, characterizing the move as a serious lack of respect.

Prime Minister Mark Carney countered that his government held three consultations with Quebec and noted that the premier declined an invitation to a summit dinner. Carney stated it was the premier's decision to leave the chair empty. Industry Minister Mélanie Joly defended the federal position, asserting that geopolitics fall under federal jurisdiction.

Quebec Justice Minister Marie-Claude Sarrazin echoed the premier's frustrations, stating the federal government chose to prevent Quebec from having a say on its own territory. The Quebec government warned it would have the final word on any agreements reached during the summit that impact provincial powers.

This diplomatic friction follows the September election of the Parti Québécois, which ended eight years of CAQ rule. St-Pierre Plamondon has since pledged to strengthen secularism laws and renew the use of the notwithstanding clause to shield these policies from judicial challenges, while criticizing the Supreme Court of Canada for being influenced by Liberal Party ideology.