Quebec Premier Paul St-Pierre Plamondon says his government will launch a “diplomatic offensive” south of the border following the U.S. midterm elections that saw the Democrats gain control of both houses of Congress.
St-Pierre Plamondon believes Canada and Quebec will have an easier time finding allies to ease tensions after a result that’s widely viewed as a rejection of U.S. President Donald Trump’s policies.
“I think we’re in a better position to possibly find a solution because Americans have spoken, the situation has changed,” he told reporters in Quebec City.
“So what we’re going to do is prepare a diplomatic offensive of discussion with the Americans to see if there isn’t a solution.”
Democrats flipped long-held Republican Senate seats in Texas, Kansas and South Carolina, while holding on to battleground seats in Georgia and Michigan.
The trade war with Canada became a ballot box issue in close contests in Maine and Michigan, where Democrats defeated their Republican rivals.
St-Pierre Plamondon believes Canada and Quebec will have an easier time finding allies to ease tensions after a result that’s widely viewed as a rejection of U.S. President Donald Trump’s policies. (Ben Nelms/CBC)
Quebec is one of the provinces most affected by U.S. tariffs, which target softwood lumber, aluminum, and various manufactured goods.
St-Pierre Plamondon said he didn’t plan for Quebec to carry out trade negotiations directly with the Americans— at least for now.
“I think that before positioning ourselves on that, we’ll open up the channels of discussion,” he said.
The Quebec premier was also asked when he would meet with Prime Minister Mark Carney, after recent tension between the two leaders.
St-Pierre Plamondon did not attend the Canada-European Union Summit in Montreal last week after Ottawa refused to grant him official speaking rights.
Quebec premier officially withdraws from Canada-EU summit, will send chief diplomat
The premier has accepted an invitation to meet with Carney, but doubled down on Wednesday on insisting that the meeting take place in Quebec City.
“We’ll take the first date in Quebec,” the premier said, while acknowledging that he might end up speaking with Carney at the upcoming Francophonie summit in Cambodia later this month, which they are both attending.
Carney and St-Pierre Plamondon have not formally met in person since the Oct. 5 provincial election, but they have spoken on the phone.
