Quebec City Mayor Bruno Marchand finds it deplorable that French President Emmanuel Macron will not stop in the capital during his visit next week.
“Let me explain […] “It is very bad that it is still necessary to recall that the National Capital is the official place of reception of dignitaries. This is written in the law, adopted in 2016,” the mayor argued in a statement sent to the media on Thursday afternoon.
During his visit to Canada next week, the French president is due to travel to Ottawa and Montreal, where he will meet with Prime Minister François Legault.
“The National Assembly of Quebec has repeatedly said this, and as recently as last April. We must stop wishing for it and take steps to make it a reality,” Bruno Marchand also mentioned.
The latter is referring to the meeting between Prime Ministers Justin Trudeau and François Legault that took place last March in the metropolis. The two men also met in Montreal rather than Quebec City in December 2022. A choice that the mayor of Quebec City was not the only one to criticize. “It would certainly have been preferable to hold the meeting in Quebec City,” declared the interim leader of the Quebec Liberal Party (PLQ), Marc Tanguay.
In 2016, the National Assembly of Quebec adopted a law stipulating that “the territory of the city constitutes the privileged and priority location” for “welcoming foreign dignitaries visiting Quebec”, “diplomatic meetings and government summits” and “major political meetings”, among others.
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