Quebec premier meets Carney in Phnom Penh and opens a tariff discussion channel

Summary

Prime Minister Mark Carney and Quebec Premier Paul St-Pierre Plamondon met on Sunday evening in a Phnom Penh hotel, after weeks of dispute over a summit seat, letters to Washington and where the meeting would be held. The meeting was booked for 30 minutes and ran close to 45. The premier's Parti Québécois won a minority government on October 5 and he has promised a third referendum on Quebec's sovereignty later in his term.

The dispute ran through a summit dinner the premier skipped, a fight over whether to meet in Quebec City, and his letters to 59 newly elected or re-elected American governors and senators. Carney said tariff talks should have a single negotiator, and the premier answered that Carney was not my boss. At the hotel, Carney tied Quebec's goals on homelessness and affordability to goals for all of Canada, and the premier said they had laughed and had fun.

The meeting produced a more frequent channel on US tariff disputes, and each leader got the other's personal phone number. The video argues Quebec's concerns on softwood lumber, aluminum and manufactured goods now reach the federal negotiator directly. The Francophonie vote follows in Phnom Penh, and the National Assembly returns December 1.

Key points

• Carney and Paul St-Pierre Plamondon met in Phnom Penh on Sunday; the meeting was booked for 30 minutes and ran close to 45.
• The two leaders agreed to open a more frequent channel of discussion on US tariff disputes.
• Quebec's premier wrote to 59 newly elected or re-elected US governors and senators.
• Quebec and Michigan traded nearly US$4.6 billion last year.
• The Parti Québécois won a minority government on October 5; the premier was sworn in on October 21.
• Quebec's National Assembly returns December 1, and the leaders are expected to meet again, likely in December in Quebec City.

Questions answered