Premier Paul St-Pierre Plamondon is refusing to say whether or not he will attend the Canada-European Union summit organized by the federal government on Thursday and Friday in Montreal, after Mark Carney denied him the right to speak.
During a press scrum Wednesday morning in Quebec City, he called on Ottawa to reverse its decision but left his attendance up in the air.
On Tuesday, the PQ Premier accused the federal government of trying to silence him at this important international meeting, while Carney stated that he had been invited to dinner but that St-Pierre Plamondon had decided to leave “an empty chair.”
“The most logical solution would be for Ottawa to correct its mistake,” argued the PQ Premier, before heading to a meeting with Conservative leader Éric Duhaime.
“It’s never too late to do the right thing,” he added.
St-Pierre Plamondon maintains that it is “disrespectful” not to give the Premier of Quebec a seat at an event taking place in Quebec where Quebec’s economic interests are being negotiated.
He cites the Gérin-Lajoie doctrine, according to which Quebec can defend its own areas of jurisdiction and interests on the international stage.
He added that his predecessor, Jean Charest, had set an “important precedent” in the negotiations for the current free trade agreement with the European Union by taking part in the discussions, because they had “a significant impact on us.”
He argued that the trade balance with European Union countries was “very negative” and that it is therefore vital for Quebec to be at the table to “correct the course.”
On Tuesday, Federal Industry Minister Mélanie Joly argued that the summit was a meeting of a “federal nature,” organized by Canada, and that “geopolitics falls under federal jurisdiction.”
While foreign trade is a federal jurisdiction, Quebec can exercise its jurisdictions abroad—such as education and culture—under the Gérin-Lajoie doctrine.
Furthermore, in order to implement international treaties and agreements signed by Ottawa, the provinces must pass legislation, which therefore makes their collaboration necessary.
–This report by La Presse Canadienne was translated by CityNews
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