Legault attended the reopening of Notre-Dame Cathedral in Paris

Quebec Premier François Legault is in France for the reopening of Notre-Dame Cathedral in Paris.

Legault was one of the dignitaries invited to the ceremony, which began Saturday evening at around 1 p.m. Quebec time. Hundreds of celebrities, heads of state, bishops and priests were invited, including newly-elected U.S. President Donald Trump, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and Prince William of the British royal family.

The plane carrying Donald Trump landed at Orly airport on Saturday morning. Some twenty French government security agents were assigned to ensure his safety alongside the secret services, according to the French national police. A special French police van also provided anti-drone protection for Trump’s convoy.

At around 7 p.m. Quebec time, Legault posted a photo of himself shaking hands with Trump on the X social network. “With U.S. President-elect Donald Trump to discuss Canadian border control and tariffs on Canadian products,” he wrote, in the same publication.

Avec le président élu des États-Unis, Donald Trump, pour discuter du contrôle des frontières canadiennes et des tarifs sur les produits canadiens. pic.twitter.com/OvGRP0yO6Z

— François Legault (@francoislegault) December 7, 2024

Later in the evening, Legault made another post on X saying that he had spoken with Tesla CEO Elon Musk “to discuss, among other things, international trade and electric vehicles”.

Pope Francis, head of the Catholic Church, will not be attending the weekend’s ceremonies, but he has sent a message to the Archbishop of Paris, which is due to be read out at the start of the celebration on Saturday.

After five years of work, Notre-Dame Cathedral in Paris is rising from the ashes, following the fire on April 15, 2019, that ravaged the 861-year-old historic monument.

“In front of the whole world, we will celebrate the reopening of Notre-Dame de Paris to the public. The cathedral will be returned to Parisians, to all of us, to Catholics the world over,” said French President Emmanuel Macron during his address to the nation on Thursday.

“This work that we thought was impossible on this evening in April 2019, well, we’ve done it. It’s proof that we know how to do great things, that we know how to do the impossible, and that the whole world admires us for it,” said President Macron, who will welcome the dignitaries before the ceremony.

Premier Legault also took advantage of his visit to the French capital to meet Quebec’s delegate general in Paris, Henri-Paul Rousseau. The two men discussed the political situation in France and the United States, according to a tweet published by Premier Legault on Saturday on social network X.

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau did not make the trip. He was scheduled to attend a community event in Montreal, according to his official schedule.

–This report by La Presse Canadienne and The Associated Press was translated by CityNews