Quebec must react forcefully to American President Donald Trump’s tariffs and nothing should be excluded, not even cutting off hydroelectricity to the Americans, François Legault declared Wednesday.
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“Currently, we are not excluding anything,” replied the Prime Minister to a question relating to Quebec’s hydroelectricity as a negotiating lever.
“If indeed there are tariffs next week, today we want to prepare different scenarios of retaliation,” said Mr. Legault. We won’t let it happen. Canada must react if the United States puts tariffs in place.”
This is the first time that the Quebec Prime Minister has declared with such clarity that nothing must be excluded to fight the tariffs of President Trump, who will be sworn in next Monday.
Quebec is the main exporter of electricity to the United States.
“If there are tariffs of 25% on all exports of Quebec products to the United States, that has a very serious negative impact on the Quebec economy and we are ready to implement retaliation and we are watching all kinds of scenarios,” he said.
Unit?
Upon their arrival in Ottawa, the provincial premiers tried to show a united face, even if the question of energy remains thorny.
Alberta Premier Danielle Smith has ruled out cutting oil flows to the United States as a retaliatory measure.
The Premier of Newfoundland, Andrew Furey, whose province also exports oil, but also hydroelectricity to the United States, has not closed the door.
“Canadian energy exported to the United States is our queen in this game of failure,” he illustrated. Chess players know not to bring out your queen too early, but that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t use it.”
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