Quebec Premier Paul St-Pierre Plamondon is planning to boycott the upcoming Canada-European Union summit in Montreal, accusing Ottawa of muzzling Quebec by denying him an opportunity to address European leaders.
The federal government has said St-Pierre Plamondon is invited to a dinner with EU representatives, but the premier will not speak at the summit, which takes place Thursday and Friday.
The dispute comes just one week after St-Pierre Plamondon was sworn in as Quebec’s 34th premier and two days after he did not participate in a meeting between the federal government, provincial premiers and First Nations.
Bloc Québécois Leader Yves-François Blanchet challenged Prime Minister Mark Carney over St-Pierre Plamondon’s role at the summit.
“How does the prime minister justify silencing the premier of Quebec?” Blanchet asked.
Carney was not in the House of Commons to answer the question directly, but told reporters that the federal government had held three consultations with Quebec’s delegation.
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He said it was St-Pierre Plamondon’s decision not to attend.
In a social media post, the Quebec premier blasted Carney over the situation.
“This is not only a serious lack of respect, but, more importantly, a significant setback for Quebec’s ability to act autonomously and to defend its own interests,” St-Pierre Plamondon wrote.
He also accused Ottawa of seeking to impose economic decisions on Quebec without allowing the province a seat at the negotiating table.
Federal Industry Minister Mélanie Joly said in Ottawa that geopolitics, including the summit, fall under federal jurisdiction.
The Parti Québécois government also says Ottawa denied Quebec’s request to host a reception on the sidelines of the summit. The request was submitted by former premier Christine Fréchette in September.
A party spokesperson said the EU routinely holds a forum for economic leaders during such summits, which Quebec could have hosted or co-hosted.
The PQ also says there is precedent for Quebec to be included, pointing to provincial representatives’ participation in negotiations for the Canada-European Union Free Trade Agreement.
Quebec Liberal Leader Charles Milliard said he understands why the premier wants to speak at the summit but argued a boycott is not the answer.
“We agree to disagree on that issue,” Milliard told reporters.
Québec solidaire co-spokesperson Sol Zanetti also said St-Pierre Plamondon should attend.
“He should be allowed to speak to everybody and say whatever he wants,” Zanetti said.
The dispute unfolded on the same day U.S. President Donald Trump posted a message on Truth Social congratulating St-Pierre Plamondon on his election victory.
Trump’s post included a link to an Irish Times article with the headline, “Separatists win Quebec provincial election in blow to Mark Carney. Result may hamper Canadian prime minister’s efforts to maintain national unity against Trump.”
Daniel Béland, a political scientist and head of the McGill Institute for the Study of Canada, noted Trump has previously made much stronger comments about the country.
“He has written much more dramatic things about Canada, much more negative things,” Béland said.
Béland also said the Canada-EU summit is fundamentally a meeting involving the federal government rather than provincial leaders.
“Strictly speaking this is a meeting between the government of Canada and the European Union,” he told Global News on Tuesday.
The growing tension between Ottawa and Quebec City follows St-Pierre Plamondon’s absence from Monday’s meeting between the federal government, provincial premiers and First Nations.
The Quebec premier also spoke with French President Emmanuel Macron on Monday.
–with files form The Canadian Press