“The sword remains above our heads,” says François Legault

“The sword remains above our heads,” says François Legault


Despite the truce of a month granted Monday evening by President Donald Trump in the trade war with Canada, Prime Minister François Legault deplores the uncertainty that persists and wants to accelerate investments as well as the diversification of exports.

This is good news, but the sword [de Damoclès] Stay above our heads and it is not good for the economyhe said on Monday evening in a press scrum in Montreal, after having met major leaders of financial institutions throughout the day, but also from the Caisse de Dépôt and Hydro-Québec.

He thus suggested that he wants to reduce Quebec’s dependence on the American market, but recognized that it will not be not an easy task.

Mr. Trump’s turnaround takes away credibility, but there is nothing to be won in the long term, in his eyes. The message is the same: companies are worriedadded the Prime Minister.

Our first choice is always not to have prices, to negotiate a free trade agreement with Mr. Trump, as planned in 2026, but we would like to get ahead of this negotiation to remove this uncertainty.

A quote from François Legault, Prime Minister of Quebec

Increase investments

He said that his government was going to improve the market diversification programs and increase in business productivity, because according to him, there is a productivity problem and therefore Quebec is vulnerable.

Legault also said that Hydro-Québec was going to accelerate its investment program and that the government was also going to invest in infrastructure.

In addition, it also relies on the reduction of interprorvincial barriers which harm the domestic trade in Canada.

Finally, he said that the American products that were to be removed from the shelves from the SAQ As retaliatory measures would be replaced on the shelves.

Recall that the Trump administration was to knock on Tuesday all Canadian customs rights products of 25 %, with the exception of energy, taxed at 10 %, as reprisals against illegal immigration and Importing drugs such as fentanyl from Canada.

However, the president finally decided to postpone the application of a month’s prices.

In response, Ottawa was to impose customs duties of 25 % out of $ 30 billion in products from the United States.

Take out “the best ideas”

Mr. Legault remains open to holding an emergency debate in the National Assembly on prices, as Recently proposed Quebec Solidaire (QS).

I think it is important more than ever that we are united and that we take out the best ideas. It is serious the attack offered by Trumpsaid the Caquist chief.

The solidarity deputy Guillaume Cliche-Rivard.

Photo : Radio-Canada / Sylvain Roy Roussel

The parliamentary leader of QSGuillaume Cliche-Rivard, sent a letter to the president of the Quebec National Assembly last Saturday.

Faced with the challenges of a trade war between Canada and the United States, it is imperative to initiate an emergency debate In order to assess the impact of these measures and define actions to protect the Quebec economyhe wrote.

In the population, several have launched calls to boycott certain American products and rather encourage local purchase in response to President Trump’s prices.

Questioned about the relevance of maintaining a boycott movement during the 30 -day stay, Mr. Legault estimates that it remains A personal choice.

But it is certain that buying Quebecers, we are not mistaken. When you buy Quebec products, you encourage the jobs of Quebec workers. So, we never be mistaken, but at the same time, it is a choice that is personalhe argued.

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