Quebec premier meets U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer in Washington D.C. - BERITAJA

Quebec’s premier met connected Monday successful Washington D.C. pinch Jamieson Greer, the apical waste and acquisition negotiator for President Donald Trump, arsenic the U.S. becomes much fierce successful its demands toward Canada up of negotiations connected the continental free-trade deal.

Greer, a erstwhile U.S. aerial unit lawyer who was main of unit to Trump’s first-term waste and acquisition representative, Robert Lighthizer, has promised to prosecute the president’s hardline waste and acquisition policies.

Premier Christine Fréchette’s agency didn’t merchandise specifications of her gathering pinch Greer, but the premier told Radio-Canada their discussions were cordial but did not lead to immoderate awesome breakthroughs.

Fréchette travelled to Washington for her first charismatic overseas travel since she was sworn successful arsenic premier earlier this month. She held a roundtable chat Monday greeting pinch representatives of business associations including the National Lumber and Building Material Dealers Association and General Motors. And she was besides scheduled to meet pinch legislature representatives.

The United States is Quebec’s main trading partner, but since March 2025 U.S. tariffs person deed respective of the province’s business sectors hard. Quebec’s aluminum and alloy person been slapped pinch 50 per cent tariffs.

Her gathering pinch Greer comes up of negotiations betwixt Canada, the U.S. and Mexico connected the continental free-trade pact, scheduled to statesman July 1. And it comes arsenic the U.S. is trying to coax Canada’s aluminum and alloy sectors to grow successful the U.S. successful bid to bask tariff relief, according to an April 23 national registry announcement by the U.S. Department of Commerce.

As well, a news study said the Americans are demanding concessions from Canada arsenic a precondition for starting negotiations connected the Canada-United States-Mexico Agreement connected trade, amended known arsenic CUSMA.

At a legislature committee proceeding past week, Greer said it was a problem that Canada was looking to diversify its trading partners, notably pinch Europe.

“They’re doubling down connected globalization erstwhile we’re trying to correct for the problems of globalization. So, those are 2 models that don’t fresh together very well,” he said.

This study by BERITAJA was first published April 27, 2026.

— With files from The Associated Press