Montreal summit speaking-rights row: Quebec premier says Ottawa muzzled him, Carney says he refused the dinner

Two days before the October 29–30 Canada–European Union summit opens in Montreal, the Quebec and federal governments clashed publicly over the premier's speaking rights. The Quebec government said on October 27 that Ottawa refused Premier Paul St-Pierre Plamondon's request to speak at the summit, even though it is being held on Quebec soil and will discuss strategic and economic agreements that could bind Quebec for years; Quebec also said a request submitted in mid-September by the previous government to host a reception on the sidelines of the summit was refused as well.

Quebec's case

A Quebec government spokesperson called the situation surreal, noting that Quebec had a seat at the table during negotiations for the Canada–European Union Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (CETA), so denying it a speaking opportunity now is a step backward. Marie-Claude Sarrazin, the minister responsible for Canadian intergovernmental affairs, said in a statement that the federal decision shows a basic lack of respect for Quebec and a denial of the role of its parliament, recalling Carney's own line that when you are not at the table, you are on the menu. The premier wrote on social media that Ottawa seemed intent on imposing economic decisions on Quebec without giving it a seat at the negotiating table.

Ottawa's response

Prime Minister Mark Carney told reporters in Ottawa on October 27 that the premier was invited to a dinner with EU representatives and refused it, adding that leaving the chair empty was his decision. Carney also said the federal government had held three consultation sessions with Quebec about the EU talks. Federal Industry Minister Mélanie Joly said geopolitics, including the summit, falls under federal jurisdiction, while Carney's Quebec lieutenant Joël Lightbound said the premier is welcome to attend the summit and the dinner, but that the meeting is fundamentally one between Canada and the EU. The summit will bring together European Council President António Costa, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and Carney, and is set to launch an EU-Canada Alliance for the Future framework.