French President Emmanuel Macron is preparing to visit Canada in July, Radio-Canada has learned. His itinerary includes a stop in the Maritimes, but not in Quebec at the moment. Its prime minister, Gabriel Atal, is visiting Ottawa and Quebec this week.
The French president has not set foot on Canadian soil since 2018 during the G7 summit in La Malpaille. According to our information, Emmanuel Macron plans to stop in the Maritimes, where he will participate in a joint ministerial meeting with Justin Trudeau and his team.
However, the final plans for the trip have not been finalized and the planning process continues.
The visit aims to highlight the links between France and Acadia within the Francophonie. Also, the World Acadian Congress (CMA) will be held this summer from August 10 to 18 in the Clare and Argyle regions of Nova Scotia.
Emmanuel Macron had expressed interest in attending CMA In 2021. Its presence in the maritime area a few weeks before the event may have been a way of honoring this commitment.
French President Jacques Chirac also attended the World Francophonie Summit in Moncton in 1999. He stayed in Quebec during this official visit.
Note that Emmanuel Macron is due to travel to North America in July for a summitNATO In Washington. Logically, his visit to Canada could be linked to his stay in the United States.
It is not known at this time whether a stop in Quebec will be added to its schedule. Normally, a Quebec stop is considered an essential stopover for a French president visiting Canada.
I know he likes Quebec
I know he loves Quebec and Quebecers very much.
French Prime Minister Gabriel Attal, in an interview with Sébastien Povet, noted that he had no information about the president's planned trips.
We talked about it together before coming here and I told him what I wanted to say to Quebecers, what I wanted to say to the National Assembly. He is very attached to Francophonie.
Quebec Premier François Legault, all smiles after Gabriel Attal's speech, said he was “honored” by his presence Thursday in Quebec.
Photo: The Canadian Press/Jacques Bossinot
Gabriel Attal recalled Quebec's financial involvement in the renovation of the Chateau de Villers-Cotterêts, where the Francophonie summit will be held in Villers-Cotterêts in October.So he knows what we owe to Quebec, he's very attached to Quebec, and I'm sure he'll be able to demonstrate that in some way.
The French Prime Minister concluded.
Recent visits by French heads of state to Quebec include François Hollande in 2014, Nicolas Sarkozy in 2008 and Jacques Chirac in 1999.
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