Quebec’s economy minister has joined Ontario Premier Doug Ford in hurling insults at Donald Trump, telling the U.S. president “f— you, esti” during a radio interview Wednesday.
Bernard Drainville, the Coalition Avenir Québec government’s outgoing minister of economy, innovation and energy, made the remark while discussing Trump’s fresh round of tariffs and accusations of American interference in Quebec’s election campaign.
“There is a real desire to say: ‘You, Canada, belong to us. You are mine,’” Drainville told Quebec City’s FM93.
“Well, f— you, esti. That’s my answer,” he said.
The Quebec swear word “esti” comes from the French word for the communion host.
“We don’t belong to Trump. We don’t belong to another country,” added Drainville, who is running as the CAQ candidate in Lévis in the Oct. 5 election.
The Gazette has reached out to the White House for comment.
CAQ Leader Christine Fréchette, who has called Trump her “real adversary” in the election campaign, subsequently ordered Drainville to retract the remark.
“It has no place,” she said after hearing the recording.
She added that while she understood the anger provoked by Trump’s actions, she still dismissed Drainville’s choice of language as counterproductive.
In a post on X, Drainville later acknowledged that his choice of words had been “inappropriate.”
However, he said he stood by the sentiment behind them.
Donald Trump a ouvert une guerre tarifaire sans précédent contre le Québec et le Canada.
Les mots choisis étaient inappropriés, mais mon indignation demeure.
On va continuer de protéger nos entreprises et nos travailleurs, c’est ça l’important aujourd’hui.
— Bernard Drainville (@BDrainvilleQc) September 2, 2026
On Wednesday, Trump launched another attack on Canada, accusing the country of “ripping off” the United States for decades.
The president complained at a press conference of what he called “tremendous tariffs” on American farmers and accused Canada of taking advantage of U.S. tourists and airlines.
He referred to Prime Minister Mark Carney as “the new guy” and Ontario’s Ford as a “slob.”
Ford has previously branded the president as the “king of bankruptcies” and a “bully,” and had invited Trump to “kiss my ass.”