St-Pierre Plamondon speaks with Macron, plans France trip

Quebec Premier Paul St-Pierre Plamondon said he spoke by phone with French President Emmanuel Macron on Monday and that the two agreed to a possible meeting in France in the coming weeks.

St-Pierre Plamondon described the call in a message on social media, which The Canadian Press reported. He said he began by telling Macron that Quebecers are closely following recent events in France, where protests over education and the cost of living have led to thousands of arrests.

“I expressed to him the full support and solidarity of the Government of Quebec, as well as our condemnation of the unrest fomented by the far-left,” St-Pierre Plamondon said (translated from French). He said Quebecers have no doubt France will find a path to social peace and respectful dialogue.

The premier said the two leaders also spoke about the historic relationship between France and Quebec. “The government-to-government relationship allows our two states to collaborate on a wide range of issues for the benefit of our Francophone communities on both sides of the Atlantic,” he wrote (translated from French).

St-Pierre Plamondon said he proposed deepening economic ties and exploring new areas of co-operation, including digital sovereignty, cybersecurity and artificial intelligence.

They also discussed the 20th Francophonie Summit, scheduled for Nov. 15 and 16 in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, and the election of the next secretary general of the International Organization of La Francophonie, he said.

The call is one of the first international contacts for the new Parti Québécois government. Earlier this week the premier skipped a first ministers’ meeting with First Nations leaders in Ottawa, and he is to meet Indigenous leaders Wednesday.

“I am very grateful for this call, which demonstrates the solidarity and natural chemistry between our two nations,” he said (translated from French).

Macron’s office had not published its own account of the call at the time of writing, and the French protests are described here as the premier characterized them.

Source: The Canadian Press, via CTV News Montreal.

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