Quebec premier boycotts Canada-EU summit over denied speaking role

MONTREAL · The Canada-European Union summit began in Montreal Thursday without Quebec Premier Paul St-Pierre Plamondon, who boycotted the event after the federal government refused his request to speak. The Parti Québécois premier said he would not accept being reduced to a "spectator" at the international gathering held in his province. He sent the province's unelected chief diplomat, Pascal Paradis, to represent Quebec instead. The dispute marks an escalation in tensions between the new separatist government in Quebec City and Prime Minister Mark Carney's federal Liberals.

St-Pierre Plamondon had been invited to sit at the head table for an opening dinner with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and European Council President Antonio Costa. The federal government denied a separate request for the premier to deliver a public speech and hold his own reception. "The federal government would have us believe that the Premier of Quebec being granted permission to serve shrimp cocktails at a reception constitutes an acceptable and sufficient form of influence for representing Quebec’s interests," St-Pierre Plamondon said in a social media post Tuesday. In a statement Wednesday, the premier said he would not accept Quebec "falling into line" and being marginalized. "As premier, I will always refuse to see Quebec reduced to the role of spectator when it comes to representing and protecting the economic and political interests of Quebecers," he wrote. He also sent a letter to European representatives arguing that the federal government had excluded Quebec from discussions and questioning whether Quebec would apply any new agreements signed at the summit.

Prime Minister Mark Carney said it was the premier's decision to leave an "empty chair." "He was invited to the dinner and he refused," Carney told reporters in Montreal. The prime minister said there had been four meetings with Quebec officials to discuss the summit and that he hoped to continue practicing "co-operative federalism." "I'll continue to practice that and be available to work with Mr. St-Pierre Plamondon for the interests of Quebecers," Carney said.

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Quebec Liberal Leader Charles Milliard criticized the premier's absence. "A letter does not replace a presence at the table," Milliard said Wednesday. "The premier says he wants to meet with European leaders, but refuses to take part in the Canada-EU summit being held on our soil." He accused St-Pierre Plamondon of "sulking because we don't have a microphone" and called it a "lack of leadership." Quebec Conservative Leader Éric Duhaime said Ottawa's refusal to let the premier speak constituted "toxic federalism."

Paradis, the chief diplomat representing Quebec, defended the premier's decision. "Quebec’s requests were legitimate, normal, and natural in this context, and they were refused," Paradis said Thursday. Industry Minister Mélanie Joly said the door remained open for St-Pierre Plamondon to attend. "If he changes his mind and still wants to come, I'll be happy to welcome him with open arms," Joly said.

Former federal foreign affairs adviser Louis Hamann described the dispute as embarrassing. "It certainly looks over the last few days that we've been living through a bad Halloween horror movie," Hamann said. He said European officials were walking into a "family fight" and warned that the premier's "spicy" letter would not be forgotten easily in Ottawa or Brussels. Hamann also questioned what the clash meant for future relations. "If he is to react that way, in this case, imagine how he'll react with all the other things that are coming down the pike," he said.

The premier framed the federal government's actions as a rupture with the Gérin-Lajoie Doctrine, a policy where Quebec conducts its own foreign policy on matters within its jurisdiction. Public policy scholar Stéphane Paquin said there are precedents for inviting Quebec premiers to speak at international events in the province, such as the UN biodiversity conference in 2022. Many topics at the Canada-EU summit, like education programs and critical minerals, fall under provincial jurisdiction, Paquin noted. "Politically, it would have been easier to let him speak," he said.

This is the latest sign of a combative posture from the new PQ government, which was elected with a minority of seats and 28 per cent of the popular vote on Oct. 5. St-Pierre Plamondon has already named a minister responsible for independence and chose not to attend a first ministers' meeting with First Nations leaders in Ottawa earlier this week. Nosy Mag reported in October that the closed-door meeting was the first dedicated to First Nations priorities in 120 years. Political analyst Sophie Villeneuve, a former PQ staffer, said the premier is setting a firm tone for future discussions with Ottawa. "Few premiers in the last 20 years have taken such a firm and clear position," Villeneuve said. The two-day summit, which aims to deepen commercial and diplomatic ties between Canada and the EU, is set to conclude Friday with announcements on digital trade and academic exchanges.

With files from The Globe and Mail, Global News and Yahoo News