Despite the agreed formulas and the starched speeches, the tensions were palpable during the opening of the 18th Francophonie summit on Saturday in Djerba. While the Heads of State and Government of some sixty countries arrived at the Grand Casino on the island where the dignitaries are gathered, Justin Trudeau and the Tunisian President, Kaïs Saïed, visibly cold, did everything to avoid each other.
Unusual fact in such an international event, the Canadian Prime Minister, who had wanted the summit to be postponed because of his criticisms of the country’s democratic situation, did not have a bilateral meeting with the President of the host country. . In the entourage of Justin Trudeau, it is explained that it was a question of not legitimizing a president nevertheless elected hands down in 2019 but who dissolved parliament and had a constitution adopted by referendum which gives him all the powers.
During the traditional family photo, the Canadian Prime Minister and the Tunisian President, yet one behind the other, did everything not to meet face to face and shake hands when, as usual, the French President, Emmanuel Macron, redoubled his kindness towards both.
During the reception of the dignitaries, where every detail counts, Kaïs Saïed invited Justin Trudeau to “really see the situation in Tunisia”. François Legault was entitled to a more cordial and slightly longer exchange. Unlike his Canadian counterpart, on Sunday, the Quebec Prime Minister should also meet Kaïs Saïd at his request. Since legislative elections will be held on December 17, it is a question of “giving him a chance”, says François Legault.
In this crossover, is Tunisia trying to play Quebec against Canada? “I don’t think so,” replied the Prime Minister. I think I’m able to be pretty clear usually with what I’m thinking. I’m going to tell him that for me, democracy is important. […] I will tell him my concern. »
Unlike Justin Trudeau, the French president seems rather on the same line as Quebec. Emmanuel Macron, has indeed met Kaïs Saïed. He reminded him in particular that “fundamental freedoms” were intrinsic to “the democratic acquis”. This did not prevent him from announcing the granting of a loan of 200 million euros to Tunisia, whose economy is on the verge of asphyxiation. In this interview, it was also question of the control of the boats of migrants who leave the country to join the boats of the NGOs stationed at the limits of the territorial waters.
Legault talks about law 96
François Legault took advantage of his intervention in the plenary of the summit to talk about the situation of French in Quebec and in North America. “I recalled that Quebec is the only state in North America where there is a majority of Francophones. […] And I expressed my concern about the decline of French in Quebec. The Prime Minister also spoke about Bill 96 and the importance of developing content in French on the Internet. He later spoke about it with Emmanuel Macron, with whom he had a “short meeting”, as well as with the Belgian and Swiss representatives.
It finally took this summit for François Legault to have his first meeting with Justin Trudeau since his election. “I reminded him that according to the latest statistics, unfortunately on the island of Montreal, we are at 48% of people who speak French at home,” he said. […] I reminded Mr. Trudeau of the importance of Bill 96 and ensuring that Bill 101 applies to federally chartered businesses.” The two prime ministers also talked about the Roxham Road and health transfers. They agreed to meet again in December. “I think I set the table well,” said François Legault.
Macron in the wind
The tensions that run through the International Organization of La Francophonie (OIF) are not limited to the Canada-Tunisia dispute. In his opening speech, the Tunisian president, who is known in his country as a defender of classical Arabic, put the cards on the table. Referring to the writer Albert Camus who wrote “my homeland is the French language”, he recalled, “without wanting to reply to this great thinker”, that on the contrary he had already affirmed that “the Arabic language is my homeland”.
Nothing like throwing a chill in an assembly which nevertheless wanted to be relaxed and which partly took up the simplified formula of the Quebec summit in 2008. Arrived on Saturday morning, the French president immediately left in the evening, sulking the Sunday morning session . An exceptional gesture for the first contributor to the OIF. Only Nicolas Sarkozy had done the same in 2008 in Quebec. But the world was then in the midst of a financial crisis and the French president had to go to Washington urgently to discuss with President Georges W. Bush.
On Sunday, member countries should make known how they intend to advance French, particularly on digital networks. In a video released on Saturday, Emmanuel Macron acknowledged that French was declining in the Maghreb and especially in Tunisia. But “we must have a project of reconquest”, he declared, while stressing the importance of making the French language “hospitable” again.