Premier Christine Fréchette began her mission in Washington on Monday morning with a meeting with Canadian Ambassador Mark Wiseman, ahead of the upcoming negotiations to revise the Canada-United States-Mexico Agreement (CUSMA), set to begin on July 1.
Her first official foreign mission in her new role comes just two weeks after her election as leader of the Coalition Avenir Québec (CAQ), following the race to succeed François Legault.
It must be said that time is running out for the new premier.
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Quebec businesses are being hit hard by the tariffs imposed by the Trump administration, the general election is in October, and her party is trailing far behind in poll after poll.
Fréchette will have the opportunity to make a name for herself in Washington, to make Quebec’s voice heard, and to try to forge alliances that her government sorely needs in the ongoing trade war with the U.S.
The meeting with the Canadian ambassador could be her first challenge.
Prior to his appointment, Wiseman had repeatedly criticized the supply management system. This system protects Quebec’s dairy industry, but it is threatened every time a trade agreement is negotiated with the U.S., which is calling for its abolition.
In addition, Fréchette is scheduled to participate later today in a roundtable discussion with U.S. and Canada-U.S. business associations and to meet with unnamed congressional representatives.
The United States is Quebec’s main trading partner, but since March 2025, U.S. tariffs have hit several Canadian industrial sectors hard, despite protests from Ottawa and the CAQ government.
In 2024, nearly three-quarters of Quebec’s exports (73.5 per cent) were destined for the U.S. market, valued at $91.2 billion.
These consisted mainly of aircraft, aluminum, aircraft engines, and mining products such as gold, silver, platinum group metals, and their alloys.
–This report by La Presse Canadienne was translated by CityNews
