“One of the best missions,” says Marchand

Paris – Even if few concrete announcements marked his 12-day European trip, Bruno Marchand did not hesitate to talk about one of his “best missions” abroad since his election in November 2021.

This is what the mayor of Quebec said on Friday, at the end of a mission which saw him travel to Spain, Switzerland and France.

“It was an extraordinary mission to position Quebec City as a world capital, to create alliances that allow us to learn and shine. It will bear fruit for a long time,” he assured.

In Cordoba, Spain, Mr. Marchand says he has managed to forge close ties with his counterparts from the Organization of World Heritage Cities (OWHC) who have common concerns with Quebec.

Medium and long term

Then, in Switzerland and France, the theme of urban health, put forward by Mayor Marchand, had many echoes among his interlocutors, he assured, affirming that the medium and long-term impacts term are just as important for Quebec.

Also, on Friday, the mayor participated in the official ceremony to launch the Francophonie Summit. During this event, he was able to have several discussions with mayors from different countries around the world.

The two main events announced in connection with this mission are the holding in Quebec, in the fall of 2026, of a major congress on active mobility organized by the International Cycling Union (UCI) and a unique international conference on sustainable health in December 2024.

Refusal of missions

Affirming that requests come from almost everywhere to welcome him, Bruno Marchand maintained that he is obliged to refuse a mission practically every week.

Thus, he had to decline an invitation for an “all expenses paid” mission which was to take place in 10 days in Mexico City (Mexico) on the issue of social innovation. He also gave the example of other trips refused such as in New York, San Francisco, Marrakech and Casablanca (Morocco) as well as Hue (Vietnam).

“We can’t do everything. At some point, my work is also in Quebec,” he agreed.

“People may say that we can do things via Zoom or Teams. It’s true. We do 90% of things by videoconference. But if the relationship is not created, it becomes much more difficult to build on videoconferences,” he added.

Barring any last-minute surprises, Mr. Marchand does not expect to do any other international missions in 2024. In 2025, a year that will culminate with municipal elections in the fall, he expects to travel much less to the ‘stranger.