François Legault believes he has set the table for a next one-on-one scheduled for December with the Prime Minister of Canada, Justin Trudeau.
The two men met for about twenty minutes on Saturday on the sidelines of the Francophonie Summit, in Djerba, Tunisia.
It was their very first meeting since the re-election of Mr. Legault as head of the Quebec government on October 3.
They notably discussed the situation of French in Montreal, the irregular entry of migrants to Roxham Road and health transfers, reported Mr. Legault.
Although he sensed an “opening” in Mr. Trudeau, he admits that he made no gain.
“Listen, I don’t want to have a Québec-Ottawa chicane abroad either. We will keep local affairs, locally, ”he defended himself.
“I set the table well,” he added, however. MM. Legault and Trudeau have planned to hold a working meeting somewhere in December.
Law 96
The Quebec law aimed at better protecting French, Law 96, was in the spotlight: Mr. Legault says he praised it before the heads of state, and defended it in a meeting with Justin Trudeau.
It is important to note that the media who accompanied Mr. Legault to Djerba were completely kept out, and had no access to the plenaries or meetings.
In a press scrum on Saturday evening, Mr. Legault said he was worried about the decline of French in Montreal, and to have agreed with the other dignitaries that it was necessary in particular to improve the digital offer in French.
“I spoke about it with Emmanuel Macron from France, with Switzerland, Belgium; […] it’s important that together we develop content that will appeal to young people,” he said.
But Quebec’s actions on language protection and immigration have received bad press, particularly in Toronto and New York, he pointed out.
According to him, this situation has the potential to harm the development of international business, so much so that he mentions the purchase of advertisements to “establish the facts”.
“Me, I care about the reputation of Quebec,” he said. There seems to be an implication that Bill 96 reduces openness. […] Today, with social media, with globalization, it goes everywhere. »
The day before, he told reporters he felt the need to “explain” his law 96 and his immigration policies, and to remind that Quebec was a “welcoming” place.
Postponed meeting with the Tunisian president
Moreover, Quebec is far from demonstrating the same level of concern as Ottawa regarding the political situation in Tunisia, which is moving further and further away from democracy.
Mr. Legault was to meet the Tunisian president on Saturday. Kaïs Saïed, while on the side of Justin Trudeau, it was clearly indicated that there was no question of holding a bilateral meeting.
Canada does not want to “legitimize” or give too much importance to President Saïed, because it is concerned about his regime one month before the legislative elections, according to a source close to the federal government.
Ottawa maneuvered behind the scenes to try to postpone this 18th Francophonie Summit again. Mr. Saïed seemed to allude to it in his opening speech.
“There was talk at difficult times, for multiple reasons, of organizing this summit remotely by videoconference, or even for some of canceling it to organize it elsewhere. »
“But our unwavering will, with the support of our friends, ended up winning,” he said.
The Legault-Saïed meeting was finally postponed to Sunday, the work having lasted until late Saturday evening. On Sunday, Prime Minister Legault is also expected to speak at the Francophone Economic Forum.