François Legault, who was rebuffed by Justin Trudeau during Emmanuel Macron’s visit on Thursday, was conspicuous by his absence at the official dinner organized in Montreal to mark the arrival of the French president.
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In fact, no representative of the Quebec government was present at the event, although seven elected officials from the CAQ received invitations.
In addition to Prime Minister Legault, Deputy Prime Minister Geneviève Guilbault, Ministers Christine Fréchette, Mathieu Lacombe, Jean-François Roberge and Martine Biron, as well as the President of the National Assembly, Nathalie Roy, all declined the invitation.
Screenshot TVA News
Screenshot TVA News
François Legault’s office would have previously indicated that the Prime Minister would not be present, since he had to prepare for a conference on Saturday, then an economic mission on October 2 and 3. The following two days, he will participate in the Francophonie Summit in France, where Justin Trudeau will also be present.
In addition, the office of the Prime Minister of Quebec claims to have received his notice of invitation around 3 p.m., only four hours before the dinner in question.
The Deputy Prime Minister, Geneviève Guilbault, was in Trois-Rivières, on her way to Quebec, when she received the invitation. Nathalie Roy, for her part, would have received her invitation only 10 minutes earlier, around 2:50 p.m.
The Legault government mentions that Quebec does not usually participate in this type of reception, which is more a federal matter.
– With information from Alain Laforest
