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Quebec premier refuses Canada-EU summit participation without speaking slot

Quebec Premier Paul St-Pierre Plamondon is rejecting an invitation to the Canada-EU summit in Montreal unless he is granted a speaking platform, creating friction with federal Prime Minister Mark Carney.

28 October 2026Tagblick Newsdesk

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Archive photo: Quebec premier refuses Canada-EU summit participation without speaking slot — Archive photoPhoto: proacguy1 · Flickr · BY-SA

The federal government rejected Quebec Premier Paul St-Pierre Plamondon's request to address the Canada-European Union summit taking place in Montreal on Thursday and Friday. St-Pierre Plamondon's office then suggested the possibility of boycotting the event. To justify this stance, the Quebec premier said that participating without access to the speaking platform would amount to serving "cocktail shrimp" to guests.

The federal government hit back by pointing out that St-Pierre Plamondon is invited to the summit dinner. Mark Carney, visibly annoyed at being accused of silencing Quebec, replied on Tuesday: "It's his decision to leave a chair empty again." This exchange comes just a week after the péquiste government was sworn in.

The summit will serve to launch more formal negotiations toward a strengthened partnership between Canada and the European Union over the coming year, Mark Carney said. According to sources, the next stage of closer relations between the two entities is expected to be unveiled at this summit.

On the international stage, tensions are emerging around the nature of this rapprochement. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen has proposed to Ottawa an "associated member" status that is sparking irritation in Paris and Berlin. Mark Carney also faces opposition that has reservations on the matter.

Meanwhile, Paul St-Pierre Plamondon spoke by telephone with Emmanuel Macron on Monday. According to reports, the Quebec premier will meet with the French president in France "in the coming weeks."

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