PQ accuses Ottawa of muzzling Quebec during upcoming Canada-EU summit
Quebec Premier Paul St-Pierre Plamondon is denouncing the federal government's refusal to allow him to speak at the Canada-EU summit which will begin in Montreal on Oct. 28.
Government says Ottawa refused premier's request to speak at summit in Montreal
CBC News
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Quebec Premier Paul St-Pierre Plamondon will not be allowed to speak at this week's Canada-EU summit in Montreal, according to the Parti Québécois (PQ).
A PQ spokesperson wrote in a statement yesterday that the federal government refused the premier's request to make a speech at the event, despite the fact that it will be held on Quebec soil.
In the statement, the PQ called the situation "surreal," and wrote that Quebec should have a right to speak at the summit, given that "strategic and economic agreements will be discussed," that "risk binding Quebec for several years."
The party argues that, since Quebec had a seat at the table during negotiations for the Canada-European Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (CETA), not allowing the province to speak for itself at the summit is a step backward.
According to the PQ, the federal government also refused Quebec's request to host a reception on the sidelines of the summit, which it said was made over a month ago by former premier Christine Fréchette.
In the statement, Quebec's Minister of Intergovernmental Affairs Marie-Claude Sarrazin quoted a phrase from Prime Minister Mark Carney's lauded speech at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, earlier this year, when he said, "If you are not at the table, you are on the menu."
Sarrazin added that the federal government's decision shows a "basic lack of respect for Quebec and a denial of the role of our parliament, which reminds us of the need to be in control of our own destiny."
The Carney government has not yet responded to a request for comment, however a federal source told Radio-Canada that St-Pierre Plamondon, along with every provincial leader, is invited to a dinner during the event. The source also emphasized this is a federal summit.
Canada strengthening ties with Europe
The Canada-EU summit will take place Oct. 28 and 29 in Montreal.
It comes just over a month after European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen proposed creating a path for Canada to become the European Union's first associate member.
In the face of tariffs from the United States, Carney has also advocated for a stronger alliance between Canada and the EU, particularly in areas of critical minerals, defence, artifical intelligence and energy security.
In a news release published ahead of the summit this week, the prime minister wrote that in response to a more dangerous and divided world, "Canada and the European Union are building on each other's strengths — deliberately, systematically, and rapidly — to form a new, ambitious alliance."
Written by Boshko Maric, with files from Radio-Canada's Véronique Prince and Sebastien Bovet
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