Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney speaks about the incident at the Canadian Forces Base (CFB) Wainwright, at Parliament Hill in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada, on October 18, 2026. (Photo by Dave Chan / AFP via Getty Images)
Quebec’s newly elected separatist government accused Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney on Tuesday of sidelining the province at a major European Union summit, as President Donald Trump congratulated Quebec’s new premier.
The clash comes ahead of the EU-Canada summit opening Thursday in Montreal, where Carney and European leaders are seeking to expand trade and investment ties amid tariff tensions with Washington.
Quebec Justice Minister Marie-Claude Sarrazin said Ottawa rejected Premier Paul St-Pierre Plamondon’s request to address the gathering, Politico reported.
St-Pierre Plamondon called the decision a “serious lack of respect” in a post on X, accusing federal officials of preferring that he “serve shrimp cocktail” rather than participate in the event.
Carney rejected the criticism, saying the premier had turned down an invitation to attend Thursday’s summit dinner with European leaders.
“It’s his decision to leave an empty chair again,” Carney told reporters in French.
The summit will reportedly bring together Carney, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and European Council President António Costa to discuss expanding economic cooperation.
According to Politico, proposed agreements include digital trade arrangements and European Investment Bank financing for Canadian critical minerals projects, raising concerns in Quebec about federal involvement in areas under provincial authority.
“The federal government has chosen to prevent Quebec from having a say on its own territory,” Sarrazin said.
She warned that “Quebec is sovereign in its fields of jurisdiction internationally, so it will have the last word.”
Trump, meanwhile, congratulated St-Pierre Plamondon on his party’s Oct. 5 election victory in a Truth Social post Tuesday, sharing an article portraying the separatist victory as a political setback for Carney.
The premier’s Parti Québécois captured 60 of 127 seats in Quebec’s National Assembly, falling four short of a majority, Axios reported.
St-Pierre Plamondon has pledged to pursue another referendum on Quebec independence but said it would not take place until after Trump leaves office.
Trump’s message came as Washington and Ottawa continued efforts to settle their trade dispute following the collapse of negotiations in August.
Speaking Monday in Mississippi, Trump accused Canada of “charging us massive tariffs” and said the country has “treated us badly,” according to Axios.
Despite the tensions, White House economic adviser Kevin Hassett said Sunday that negotiations have “picked up” and are “gathering steam,” suggesting a possible breakthrough.
Axios also reported that the Trump administration recently exempted certain Canadian imports from 50% tariffs following pressure from Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine.
Carney maintained that Quebec had been consulted on summit preparations, saying federal officials had already held three discussions with provincial representatives.
Despite the public feud, Quebec’s delegate general in Brussels, Hélène Drainville, told Politico that federal and provincial officials were working together on summit agreements.
“Right now, all the signals are green,” Drainville said, while insisting Quebec “has to be at the table” on matters involving provincial jurisdiction.
© 2026 Newsmax. All rights reserved.
