{"id":835108,"date":"2026-07-30T04:01:12","date_gmt":"2026-07-30T04:01:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/835108\/"},"modified":"2026-07-30T04:01:12","modified_gmt":"2026-07-30T04:01:12","slug":"the-caq-is-not-interested-in-canada-milliard-says-pledging-to-work-with-other-provinces-to-counter-u-s-tariffs","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/835108\/","title":{"rendered":"‘The CAQ is not interested in Canada,’ Milliard says, pledging to work with other provinces to counter U.S. tariffs"},"content":{"rendered":"

QUEBEC \u2014 Accusing the Coalition Avenir Qu\u00e9bec government of being a bit player on the federal scene, Quebec Liberal Leader Charles Milliard<\/a> pledged Wednesday to move the province closer to the rest of Canada, including Ontario.<\/p>\n

But Milliard would not go so far as endorsing the hardline tactics of Ontario Premier Doug Ford toward the United States<\/a>. <\/p>\n

Ford has suggested Ontario could cut off energy sales to the U.S. in response to American tariffs, and said Canada \u201ccan\u2019t keep rolling over for President Trump.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWe each have our personalities,\u201d Milliard said when asked about Ford\u2019s approach. \u201cWhat I want is for all the provinces to work together.\u201d<\/p>\n

Milliard made the comments at a news conference strategically held in the shadow of the U.S. Consulate in Quebec City.<\/p>\n

The site was chosen as a reminder that Quebec needs to step up its game as its main trade partner turns its back on the province.<\/p>\n

Part of the response, Milliard said, should be for Quebec to rally the provinces and the federal government around common economic interests.<\/p>\n

He said that is exactly what the CAQ has not done in its eight years in power, which has cost Quebecers.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen it comes to Canadian relations, the current government lamentably disappoints,\u201d Milliard said. \u201cWe are in the grandstands watching the game be played.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe CAQ is happy managing Canadian relations. I think we need to develop them.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat I am saying is the CAQ is not interested in Canada, yet the vast majority of Quebecers feel attached to Canada and have fears about the American government.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"QuebecQuebec Liberal Party Leader Charles Milliard walks by the U.S. Consulate in Quebec City on Wednesday, July 29, 2026. Francis Vachon \/ Montreal Gazette<\/p>\n

Milliard said Premier Christine Fr\u00e9chette was a mere \u201cspectator\u201d at last week\u2019s meeting of the premiers and Prime Minister Mark Carney in Charlottetown<\/a>, available for photo opportunities but not much else.<\/p>\n

While nine premiers agreed to remove interprovincial barriers that prevent brewers, wineries and distillers from selling directly to consumers in other provinces, for example, Quebec did not get on board, he added.<\/p>\n

\u201cThese are tough times, but these are times to unite and to have strong leadership and be proud of what we are: Quebecers and Canadians,\u201d Milliard said.<\/p>\n

With the general election looming in the fall, Milliard outlined a new four-point plan he said would bring Quebec back into the big leagues in Canadian relations and counter the negative effects of U.S. policies.<\/p>\n

If elected premier on Oct. 5, Milliard said, he would launch a tour of the rest of Canada to create alliances with the other premiers.<\/p>\n

He would put in place a pan-Canadian committee reinforcing the diversification of the economy, as well as develop a common Quebec economic vision.<\/p>\n

Finally, he would work to expand Quebec\u2019s spheres of influence, including relaunching joint Quebec-Ontario cabinet meetings once a year.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt is our natural neighbour, so establishing this alliance is a priority,\u201d Milliard said. \u201cRepairing this alliance should be a priority.\u201d<\/p>\n

It didn\u2019t take long for the CAQ government to react.<\/p>\n

In a message on social media, Fr\u00e9chette said the Liberals\u2019 \u201cCanadian diplomacy plan\u201d misses the mark because it strays from the CAQ\u2019s autonomist strategy for Quebec.<\/p>\n

\u201cQuebec must equip itself with a more pronounced and influential diplomacy with direct lines of communication, without intermediaries (like the federal government),\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe timid and federalist approach of Mr. Milliard favours a Quebec diplomacy aligned with that of Canada, limiting Quebec\u2019s capacity to fully defend its own interests.\u201d<\/p>\n

Milliard held Wednesday\u2019s news conference after several political columnists accused him of being invisible this summer even as Quebec moves toward the election.<\/p>\n

He brushed aside questions about some of the problems his party has had with new candidates. In the last few weeks, several have pulled out of the running for various reasons.<\/p>\n

Last week, the Liberals dropped Michel Savard as the candidate<\/a> for the Montreal riding of Gouin after old social media remarks re-emerged in which he called Parti Qu\u00e9b\u00e9cois supporters Nazis.<\/p>\n

\u201cNo political party is exempt from these situations,\u201d Milliard said. \u201cI am the leader of the party. My responsibility is to put together the best team. I have an excellent team. When there are decisions to take, I take them.\u201d<\/p>\n

pauthier@postmedia.com<\/a><\/p>\n

\t\tEditor\u2019s Picks\t<\/p>\n

The Gazette\u2019s On Quebec Politics newsletter by Andy Riga breaks down key election issues, from polling shifts to legislative manoeuvring to ideas circulating in francophone commentary that don\u2019t make it into English-language coverage.<\/p>\n

To sign up, visit this page<\/a> and check the box labelled \u201cOn Quebec Politics\u201d before providing your email address.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"QUEBEC \u2014 Accusing the Coalition Avenir Qu\u00e9bec government of being a bit player on the federal scene, Quebec…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":835109,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[22],"tags":[49,48,218342,295,120789,197017,66],"class_list":["post-835108","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-environment","tag-ca","tag-canada","tag-coalition-avenir-quebec-caq","tag-environment","tag-quebec-elections","tag-quebec-liberal-party","tag-science"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/835108","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=835108"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/835108\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/835109"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=835108"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=835108"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=835108"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}