From the outset of her mission to Paris, Premier Christine Fréchette lowered expectations. She did not guarantee an agreement by the end of her trip and refused to reiterate her predecessor François Legault’s objectives of doubling, or even tripling, trade with France.
“I can’t guarantee an announcement, but I guarantee we’ll move forward,” the premier said in a press scrum Sunday at Place du Québec in Paris, under torrential rain.
So how does she assess the success or failure of her mission? “We’ll be able to see that with the progress of a number of partnerships and projects. Will it be finalized in the next three days, or will it be later? I couldn’t say. But what I can tell you is that every meeting we have with French people, whether in Quebec or in France, helps to strengthen our partnerships and projects,” she explained.
Christine Fréchette’s predecessor, François Legault, said he wanted to double, or even triple, trade between Quebec and France. The new premier has remained more cautious.
“I don’t want to set a specific target in the short term. We want to enhance our trade relations, boost our exports, increase our investments on both sides, and work together,” she stated.
American tariffs continue to hurt the Quebec and Canadian economies. In this context, the Quebec government wants businesses to diversify their markets. Christine Fréchette believes this message has been heard.
“Because our exports outside the United States have increased by 10 per cent in recent months. So, France is part of those increases, but it is still not enough,” the Primer argued.
However, Quebec remains heavily dependent on the American market. In 2025, Quebec’s merchandise exports to the United States reached $84.8 billion (69.8 per cent). Exports to France amounted to $2.2 billion (1.8 per cent).
The Primer is on a mission in Paris until May 20th.
–This report by La Presse Canadienne was translated by CityNews
