(Montreal) The opening of a Quebec office in Tel Aviv is “in no way” a position taken by the government in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, defended the Minister of International Relations and La Francophonie, Martine Biron .
“In no way can the opening of the Quebec office in Tel Aviv, the announcement of which was made well before the start of hostilities, be interpreted as a position taken by Quebec,” declared the minister during a a speech on Friday before the Council on International Relations of Montreal (CORIM).
The opening of this diplomatic representation sparked lively debates in the National Assembly. In February, Québec solidaire (QS) filed two petitions totaling nearly 12,000 signatures against the opening of the office.
MP Haroun Bouazzi accused the Coalition Avenir Québec (CAQ) of being “complicit” in “crimes against humanity” and “ethnic cleansing”. The solidarity remarks were, however, criticized by the Advisory Center for Jewish and Israeli Relations (CIJA).
The conflict has a strong emotional charge in Quebec, which is home to large Jewish and Palestinian communities. Members of the Jewish community have observed a surge in anti-Semitism while critics of Israel say its military intervention violates international law and accuse Canada of turning a blind eye to the suffering of the Palestinians.
On Saturday, nearly 200 civil society organizations will hold a demonstration in Montreal to denounce the Israeli intervention.
In this conflict, Mme Biron judges that Quebec’s position is “balanced”. “I think we are all horrified by what is happening, but we are also horrified to know that hostages are still being held by Hamas,” the minister commented in a press scrum after her presentation.
She points out that the decision to open an office in Tel Aviv was taken before the bloody Hamas attack on October 7, which led to a military response from Israel.
Mme Biron emphasizes that the office is not only for relations with Israel, but with the entire Middle East. “It really is the gateway to the Middle East. Then, there are businesses being done in Turkey, Lebanon, the Arab Emirates. It’s not just Israel. »
The office plays a primarily economic rather than diplomatic role, she said. “In fact, Quebec supports companies that want to do business abroad. It is certain that we have political contacts, but in this case, what we want is to increase economic exchanges. »
In this regard, the Israeli economy has assets that work in its favor, according to her. “Israel has a lot to offer, particularly in cybersecurity and technology. »
In fact, the Tel Aviv office is operated from Montreal for security reasons, said M.me Biron. “In fact, when we are able to go there, the office will be in the Canadian embassy, but currently we work from Montreal. »
New “zero-cost” representations
Minister Biron also took advantage of her speech to announce “zero-cost” changes in the various delegations and offices abroad.
Some representations will be closed or will have their staff reduced, while others will gain ground. Opening projects are also in the pipeline.
Quebec will increase its diplomatic force in the United States, by increasing its staff there by 20%. The offices in Washington and Miami will be upgraded to delegation status. The minister also plans to establish a delegation in Seattle.
“I need people in the United States,” she explains in the press scrum. We have protectionist measures coming. »
Quebec plans to strengthen its presence in Mexico and Colombia, but the office in Havana, Cuba will be closed.
In Europe, the minister also wants to open an office in Stockholm, Sweden. She points out that the projects in Seattle and Stockholm have not yet received the green light from the council of ministers and that these were projects for the moment. When does she hope these offices will open? “I would like that next year,” she replies.
After analyzing the organization of its activities in China, the Legault government made the decision to close its office in Hong Kong. In total, Quebec’s workforce will be reduced by six people in China.
Mme Biron emphasizes that “there are fewer hands” being raised to do business in China “given what happened during the pandemic, the repression, etc..” “. She insists that Quebec’s presence there remains “profitable” and that it is essential to maintain relations with the world’s second largest economy, which is technologically advanced, particularly in terms of electric cars.
In Asia, Quebec wants to strengthen its presence in the Indo-Pacific region. The South Korea and Singapore offices will move to general delegation status.
Despite the diplomatic chill between Canada and India, Quebec wants an autonomous presence in Mumbai. The Quebec office was located in the offices of the Canadian consul in Mumbai.
Canada has suspended in-person operations at the Mumbai consulate in the wake of the killing of a Sikh activist in British Columbia. Ottawa accuses India of being responsible for the murder on Canadian soil, which New Delhi denies.
Quebec wants to open its own offices in India in order to be operational on the ground. “It’s a project that is underway. I met the Indian consul who is based here in Montreal a few times. We are moving forward on this issue. »