Christine Fréchette begins first foreign mission as Quebec premier

While Washington is in turmoil following what appears to be yet another assassination attempt on President Trump, Premier Christine Fréchette will embark on her first foreign trip to the U.S. capital on Monday.

She will participate in a series of meetings, just two months before negotiations on the revision of the Canada-United States-Mexico Agreement (CUSMA) begin on July 1.

Quebec businesses have been severely impacted by a series of tariffs imposed by President Trump’s administration since he took office in 2025.

Fréchette is scheduled to meet with Canadian Ambassador Mark Wiseman, participate in a roundtable discussion with U.S. and Canada-U.S. business associations, and meet with unnamed congressional representatives.

The United States is Quebec’s main trading partner. In 2024, nearly three-quarters of Quebec’s exports (73.5%) were destined for the U.S. market, with a value of $91.2 billion. These exports consisted primarily of aircraft, aluminum, aircraft engines, and mining products such as gold, silver, platinum group metals, and their alloys.

But since March 2025, U.S. tariffs have hit several Canadian industrial sectors hard, despite protests from Ottawa and the CAQ government.

Among other things, a 50 per cent tariff is imposed on Quebec aluminum and steel.

Since October, Quebec lumber has been subject to a total tariff of 45 per cent when crossing the U.S. border.

In February 2025, Premier François Legault traveled to Washington with his provincial counterparts to try to curb the U.S. partner’s protectionist aims, but the visit did not have the desired effect.

Fréchette is now attempting to inject her own momentum into the upcoming talks and to leverage her influence.

The very recent agreement she managed to secure with the specialist doctors’ federations (FMSQ) could help foster a perception of a shift in tone and leadership style compared to her predecessor, Legault.

Since his election as leader of the CAQ on April 12—exactly two weeks ago—Fréchette has been racing to boost his party’s popularity, which has been hitting new lows in poll after poll, just a few months ahead of the October general election.

Last week, she introduced her brand-new cabinet as well as a new body, the Council of Regions, composed of elected officials from her party representing all regions of Quebec.

–This report by La Presse Canadienne was translated by CityNews