Quebec premier accepts Carney invitation, insists meeting be held in Quebec City
The premier says Quebec law requires any such meeting to take place in Quebec City, and says he will lead the delegation to the Francophonie Summit.
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Quebec Premier Paul St-Pierre Plamondon has agreed to meet Prime Minister Mark Carney before the Francophonie Summit, on one condition: the meeting must be held in Quebec City.
St-Pierre Plamondon announced his acceptance in a social media post Sunday, thanking Carney for what he called a change in tone. He cited the National Capital Commission Act, which he said requires meetings of this nature to take place in Quebec City. "Unsurprisingly, I simply ask that this meeting be held in accordance with Quebec law," he wrote.
Carney, in an interview published Saturday in La Presse, said the meeting would aim to set common goals ahead of the Francophonie Summit and ensure a good relationship between Ottawa and Quebec. The summit runs Nov. 14 to 16 in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, and St-Pierre Plamondon said he will lead the Quebec delegation there.
The premier did not attend the Canada-European Union summit held in Montreal last week, saying Ottawa refused him an official speaking slot. He accused the federal government of having "decided to exclude Quebec from the discussions."
