François Legault met the President of France with whom he wanted to discuss the French language and temporary immigration.
The meeting between the two leaders was held Thursday evening at the Pointe-à-Callière museum in Old Montreal. The Prime Minister of Quebec welcomed Emmanuel Macron on the square in front of the Museum of Archeology and History with a hug and a handshake.
“This is where the city of Montreal was founded,” Mr. Legault told his guest before going inside a few moments later.
Mr. Macron was notably accompanied by his minister responsible for the Francophonie, Thani Mohamed Soilihi, and the French deputy for North America, Roland Lescure, who was first vice-president of the Caisse de dépôt et placement du Québec from 2009 to 2017. The writer Dany Laferrière was also among the guests at this meeting.
Inside the museum, Mr. Legault listed in a short statement to the media the topics of discussion he wanted to discuss with the French president, who arrived in Canada on Wednesday.
“Obviously, the one that is most important to me this year, the French language. It’s a challenge in America, surrounded by hundreds of millions of English speakers,” said the Quebec Prime Minister alongside Mr. Macron.
Mr. Legault also indicated to the President of France that he wanted to address the issue of temporary immigration.
“I heard you say something this morning. You said: “the French feel pushed around by immigration”. It’s the same feeling here in Quebec. I would like to discuss our approach with asylum seekers. […] We all want to welcome as many people as possible, but we also want to protect our language. So, we’re going to have good discussions. We’re going to talk a little bit about the economy,” he said.
Mr. Macron said, for his part, he was delighted to see the Prime Minister of Quebec again about a week before the Francophonie Summit which will take place in France, and where the two statesmen are expected.
“Seeing our Quebec friends again, it’s always this very special, family feeling,” said President Macron. He also mentioned wanting to discuss with Mr. Legault on the French language as well as artificial intelligence, the economy, culture and student exchanges.
Mr Macron had just concluded a joint press conference with Prime Minister Justin Trudeau in Montreal. This last event being not far from the museum, he made the journey on foot to come and meet Mr. Legault.
The French leader was making his second official visit to Canada. He was received Wednesday evening by Mr. Trudeau at Rideau Cottage in Ottawa for an informal private dinner. The two men then had meetings on Thursday in the federal capital and the Quebec metropolis.