Quebec’s envoy in Ottawa leaves office as province seeks larger role in Canada's U.S. relations
OTTAWA – Quebec’s “top diplomat” in the nation’s capital retired last week as a new prime minister was elected, a new delegation of Quebec Liberal MPs is about to arrive in town, and when the province wants to play a bigger role in Canada-U.S. relations.
While the Roxham Road file on asylum seekers was making headlines and rumbling in the House of Commons, Mario Lavoie was trying to reassure Latin American ambassadors that Quebec was still welcoming to newcomers.
“They told us ‘what you’re doing doesn’t make sense,’” Lavoie, who was then the head of the Quebec Government Office in Ottawa, said in an interview with National Post.
At the time, the Quebec government was asking the federal government to tighten the border and put an end to the notorious migrant crossings between New York State and Quebec.
“So, you’re able to explain why the government says that. But also, to say in the same sentence that the government is very generous, that it is the most generous of governments towards migrants, but it’s just that the elastic is stretched,” he added.
Roxham Road was closed for good in 2023, marking a major victory for the Quebec government on the national stage.
Lavoie announced his retirement last week, but Canada-U.S. relations and the situation with migrants may well be at the heart of relations between Quebec and Ottawa with Mark Carney taking office as prime minister.
With U.S. President Donald Trump’s executive actions, more and more people are flocking to the northern border .
“This is really an issue for the relationship between Quebec and Ottawa, and I would even say it is a challenge for the entire federation,” said Charles Breton, executive director of the Centre of Excellence on the Canadian Federation.
Ottawa and Quebec will try to strengthen their relations during the Trump presidency, he said. However, immigration is still a contentious file.
“It’s the first point of friction that should appear on the horizon because, on economic issues, on the relationship with the United States, on tariffs, I think everyone will work and row in the same direction,” Breton said.
The Quebec Office plays a strategic role in representing the province’s interests in the capital. The envoy frequently meets with ambassadors, civil servants, elected officials, and senators, and plays a particular strategic role for the province in the federal legislative process.
So much so that, since Lavoie came to office in 2020, Alberta and Ontario have announced they, too, would also be represented by a “diplomat” in Ottawa.
In Quebec City, Premier François Legault’s entourage believes the Quebec Office in Ottawa is “more relevant than ever.”
“In a context where federal decisions have major repercussions for Quebec, and as a new Prime Minister takes office, it is essential that Quebec can count on an active and direct presence with the federal government, in Ottawa,” Legault’s director of media relations Ewan Sauves told National Post in a written statement.
The premier has not yet chosen his point person in the capital and a decision will be made in due course, Sauves said.
With a new prime minister, a delegation of 43 Liberal MPs and a new cabinet that will be sworn in next week, a Speech from the Throne delivered by King Charles May 27, new economic momentum within the federation and difficult negotiations with the White House to come, the province wants to be at the heart of the action.
“It’s a new government that has been elected,” said Lavoie. “The prime minister will appoint the people around him, there will be new ministers, new political attachés, new MPs, so it is important that the person who will represent Quebec introduces himself and then reestablishes contacts.”
Since François Legault’s election as premier in 2018, relations have been strained, to say the least.
However, a week after the election that gave Mark Carney a near-majority government, Legault demonstrated he can make friends easily.
“When I had about an hour discussion with (Carney), we spoke about the economy and we talked about energy… We’re really having a common vision about the economy,” Legault said last week.
“I think that the best way to thank Quebecers is to take action about the economy, about the immigration,” added Legault, who wishes to see the 400,000 temporary immigrants controlled by Ottawa reduced by 50 per cent.
Carney’s Quebec lieutenant Steven Guilbeault attended the meeting and, in a recent interview with National Post, shared that “it was a very pleasant meeting, somewhat good-natured.”
“They realized that they know some of the same people… I think they discovered they had a lot of common ground, probably more than there was between Mr. Legault and (former) prime minister (Justin) Trudeau,” said Guilbeault.
Breton said it will be important to find Lavoie’s replacement by September because Quebec’s agenda, which includes immigration, a new provincial constitution and the ongoing battle over the division of powers, could well create waves in Ottawa.
National Post
atrepanier@postmedia.com
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