Quebec Premier Christine Fréchette says she doesn’t have enough information to determine whether the tentative Canada-U.S. tariff deal is a good agreement for her province. Fréchette spoke to reporters outside her office following a meeting with Prime Minister Mark Carney and Canada’s premiers on a potential agreement before new tariffs were set to take effect Wednesday. U.S. President Donald Trump has since delayed his new 50 per cent tariffs on Canadian goods by three days. “I have to get more information from Ottawa. I’ve asked many questions, and they have taken note, and we will talk again tomorrow, or maybe Friday; we’ll see,” she said. “When I get all the information, I’ll be able to decide if it’s a good agreement or not for Quebec. I’m here to protect businesses, workers, and supply management needs to be maintained; the cultural exception needs to be maintained, and therefore until I get new information, I won’t be able to position myself.” The premiers’ meeting began at 4:30 p.m. on Wednesday, following a cabinet meeting chaired by Carney at 3 p.m. Fréchette met with representatives last week in two emergency meetings from key sectors in the province that could be vulnerable to the new tariffs, including the agricultural, aluminum, forestry, and steel industries. Following both meetings, she called on the federal government to protect the province’s economic interests and the country’s supply management, warning that Quebec’s dairy sector could be most affected by tariffs. Following Fréchette’s announcement, she took to social media to say that the negotiations with the Trump administration are far from over. “I am missing information before making the appropriate decisions to ensure I protect Quebecers. I am awaiting clarifications from Mr. Carney. Our teams will speak again tomorrow,” she said. Fréchette also said that it is Quebec alone that will decide whether to put U.S. alcohol back in provincial liquor stores operated by the Société des alcools du Québec (SAQ).
