Quebec believes that the commercial aspect will be “the most important” of Prime Minister François Legault’s participation in the Francophonie Summit, Friday and Saturday, at the end of a stay in France where he will lead, from Tuesday, an “economic mission” .
“On the economic level, I would say that this is the most important aspect of our mission,” declared the Minister of International Relations and La Francophonie, Martine Biron, in an interview with The Canadian Press when she was questioned specifically on the summit objectives.
Continuing his reasoning, Mme Biron, who is on the trip, explained that Quebec, if it wants to prosper, has an interest in increasing its trade with the many countries in Europe and Africa that want to diversify their supply chain. “Then, obviously, we would prefer to do business with friends, so it’s always easier to do business in French,” she noted.
The 19the Francophonie Summit will be held at the Château de Villers-Cotterêts, in the suburbs of Paris, as well as in the City of Lights at the Grand Palais. The event brings together heads of state and government members of the International Organization of La Francophonie (OIF) every two years, the only international organization where Quebec sits autonomously and speaks with its own voice. The Prime Minister of Canada, Justin Trudeau, has also indicated that he will be present.
Digital technology and the discoverability of French-speaking content online are priorities for Quebec during the meeting.
“When you open Netflix in Quebec, what appears is English content,” explained Minister Biron. In France, when you open Netflix, it’s French-speaking content. When we go to Brazil, we open Netflix, it’s Portuguese content. So our language must be known and we must be able to quickly have a French-speaking product. »
The government will also focus on promoting the French language, strengthening the “economic Francophonie” and youth.
Quebec also intends to do behind-the-scenes work to rally French-speaking countries around the idea of integrating digital content into UNESCO’s Convention on the Protection and Promotion of the Diversity of Cultural Expressions.
Change of direction?
Is Quebec actually making a change of direction in its relationship with France in order to place more emphasis on trade? “No,” M hastened to respond.me Biron. I think everything goes together: culture is also economic.”
And Quebec’s relationship with France will “never” be solely economic, she declared. “It’s im-poss-sible!” We share a language, a specific culture. Quebecers are interested in French culture and the French are interested in Quebec culture. »
The international policy of the CAQ government unveiled five years ago nevertheless gives absolute priority to the economy in Quebec’s relations with foreign countries. The predecessor of Mme Biron, Nadine Girault, had also explained at the time that “the focus” of Quebec delegations abroad would be placed on economic diplomacy, whereas until then there had been diplomacy of “influence », more political.
Ahead of the summit, Mr. Legault plans to meet “political and economic figures” from Tuesday to Thursday, said his office, which refused to specify what is on the agenda. Its main objectives are to increase commercial exchanges, consolidate links between Quebec and French businesses, and promote Quebec culture and the French language.
On Thursday, Mr. Legault will be in Paris where he will take part in the FrancoTech economic forum, The Canadian Press has learned. The event will bring together French-speaking entrepreneurs, including Quebecers. It aims to promote innovation in French, strengthen the French-speaking economic space and encourage business meetings.
Not just the economy, say the oppositions
For the Liberal spokesperson for international relations and the Francophonie, André A. Morin, it is important that the government maintains “a balance” between the cultural and economic relationship it maintains with France.
“In my opinion, the predominance of the mission must not be economic,” he said. And Quebec has forged special ties with France for decades. And, of course, there was an economic component, but there was also a very important cultural component. »
Mr. Morin said he would like discussions to be held on the place of French on digital platforms and in artificial intelligence.
At the Parti Québécois, too, we are sorry that focusing on the economic question has become the “trademark” of the Legault government, declared their spokesperson for Francophonie, Pascal Paradis.
“The question of diplomacy, in its broad sense, is important,” he insisted. And we can see what the result is when President Emmanuel Macron comes [la semaine dernière] in Quebec and that it is Canada and Justin Trudeau who occupy the top spot. »
The two politicians both referred to the Gérin-Lajoie doctrine — widely considered the cornerstone of Quebec’s international policy — which provides that provinces can conclude agreements on the international scene in areas that fall within their jurisdiction. of jurisdiction provided for in the Canadian constitution.
“What we want is for Quebec to make maximum use of the levers currently at its disposal to project its own skills on an international scale, to have high-level discussions on all subjects, to occupy all place on political issues,” said Mr. Paradis.
Officials from Québec solidaire indicated that they had taken note of our request for an interview, but did not respond to it.