Quebec premier will not attend Canada-EU Summit in Montreal - National Post
Prime Minister Mark Carney waits for the arrival of the Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi, His Highness Sheikh Khaled bin Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan at West Block on Parliament Hill in Ottawa on Tuesday, Oct. 27, 2026. Photo by HYUNGCHEOL PARK /PostmediaArticle contentOTTAWA — Quebec Premier Paul St-Pierre Plamondon has decided not to attend the Canada-European Union summit that will be taking place in Montreal this week.
The decision, which was announced in a letter to unnamed European officials that was made public on Wednesday evening, comes after two days of conflict with the federal government which has categorically refused to let the premier speak at the summit.
St-Pierre Plamondon will instead be replaced by Quebec’s chief negotiator, Pascal Paradis, a former Parti Québécois MNA who lost his seat in the last election.
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Earlier in the day, St-Pierre Plamondon had called on Prime Minister Mark Carney to “reverse his decision” and let him speak at a dinner that will be held Thursday evening with Canadian politicians, European dignitaries and business groups at the meeting.
“I always indicated I wanted a productive relationship with Ottawa, but I also indicated I wanted a relationship of respect,” St-Pierre Plamondon told reporters in Quebec City.
“It is not respectful to not give a place to the premier of Quebec at an event in Quebec, where Quebec’s economic interests are being negotiated,” he added.
Responding to these claims in Ottawa, Carney said his office extended two invitations for the recently-elected Quebec premier to be involved during the summit.
The first offer consisted of welcoming the President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, and the President of the European Council, António Costa, at their arrival to Montreal.
The second offer was to sit with them and Carney at the head table for dinner.
“In my view, this is a very valuable chance for him to engage in conversation and build relationships with the presidents of the European Union, and also an opportunity for Mr. St-Pierre Plamondon and me to strengthen our own relationship,” Carney said.
The prime minister said he hoped that St-Pierre Plamondon would “reconsider.”
The answer came several hours later in the form of a letter.
St-Pierre Plamondon explained to those officials that he feels Quebec has been excluded from the discussions that will be taking place at the event.
“The government I have had the honor of leading since the elections on October 5th has neither a seat at the negotiating table nor the opportunity to speak and present the general policy directions of the State of Quebec to our European partners with regard to the agreements that will emerge from these talks — and this, even though the summit is being held on Quebec soil,” he wrote in French.
“We very much look forward to meeting with you in the near future, under more favorable circumstances, in order to expand our cooperation,” he concluded.
