Quebec Premier Fréchette meets U.S. trade representative, Canadian ambassador in Washington
Posted April 27, 2026 9:27 am.
Last Updated April 27, 2026 4:37 pm.
Premier Christine Fréchette met with U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer, an influential member of President Donald Trump’s cabinet, in Washington on Monday.
By the afternoon, no details had yet emerged from this meeting, which foreshadows the talks surrounding the revision of the Canada-United States-Mexico Agreement (CUSMA) starting on July 1.
The U.S. trade representative should not be confused with the U.S. Secretary of Commerce Howard Lutnick.
The official website of the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative states that Greer “has made it a priority to put America first in trade, by combating unfair foreign trade practices, expanding market access for ‘Made in America’ products, and ensuring balance and reciprocity in US trade relations”.
It also states that he played a key role in negotiating the first draft of the CUSMA.
The premier is thus undertaking her first overseas visit in her new role, holding a series of meetings to position Quebec as a key trading partner, at a time when the province has been hit hard by a series of tariff barriers since Trump came to power in early 2025.
On Monday at midday, in a chic restaurant in Washington, Fréchette held a round-table discussion with representatives of Canadian-American business associations.
“There are many changes in the international landscape and we must share ideas and work together to address these changes,” she told her audience.
Those present included John Dickerman, vice-president responsible for the United States at the Canadian Council for International Trade; Charles Johnson, president of The Aluminium Association; the president and CEO of the National Lumber and Building Material Dealers Association; and a representative from General Motors.
“Our (bilateral) relationship sustains and supports tens, even hundreds of thousands of jobs on both sides of the border, and it is important to me to clearly explain the significance of this relationship to economic and political partners such as yourselves,” she added.
In the afternoon, Fréchette was due to visit Congress to meet with numerous representatives from California, New York and Nebraska.
She began her tour in the morning with a meeting with the Canadian Ambassador Mark Wiseman.
Her first official mission abroad in her new role comes just two weeks after her election as leader of the Coalition Avenir Québec (CAQ), following the race to succeed François Legault.
“It was important for me to come to the United States quickly,” she said during a press scrum earlier in the day.
“As we know, the United States is of great importance to us in Quebec, so it is important to meet with them quickly as discussions to revise the agreement get underway,” she added.
Fréchette was determined to visit the U.S. capital, despite a shooting that took place in the city on Saturday during the White House Correspondents’ Dinner.
It must be said that time is running out for the new premier.
Quebec businesses are being hit hard by the tariffs imposed by the Trump administration, the general election is due in October, and her party is trailing far behind in poll after poll.
Prior to his appointment, Wiseman had repeatedly criticized the supply management system. This system protects Quebec’s dairy industry, but it is threatened every time a trade agreement is negotiated with the U.S., which is calling for its abolition.
Fréchette will have the opportunity to make a name for himself in Washington, to make Quebec’s voice heard, and to try to forge alliances that his government sorely needs in the ongoing trade war with the United States.
The U.S. is Quebec’s main trading partner, but since March 2025, U.S. tariffs have hit several Canadian industrial sectors hard, despite protests from Ottawa and the CAQ government.
In 2024, nearly three-quarters of Quebec’s exports (73.5 per cent) were destined for the U.S. market, valued at $91.2 billion.
These consisted mainly of aircraft, aluminum, aircraft engines, and mining products such as gold, silver, platinum group metals, and their alloys.
–This report by La Presse Canadienne was translated by CityNews
