Macron didn’t back Montreal for Defence Bank headquarters

French President Emmanuel Macron has not thrown his support behind Montreal’s bid to host the headquarters of the Defence Bank.

“He didn’t commit, he didn’t make any pledges, and I didn’t seek his endorsement either,” Premier Christine Fréchette told reporters Monday after meeting with the French president at the Élysée Palace.

“I presented Montreal’s strengths as a candidate and also explained that the French presence on Quebec soil — whether in security or finance — contributes to our attractiveness,” she added.

• Quebec politicians say Montreal is ‘logical’ choice to headquarter new defence bank

Following a meeting held April 23–26 in Montreal with representatives from 18 countries, Canada was selected to host the headquarters of the Bank for Defence, Security and Resilience. Montreal faces stiff competition from Toronto, Vancouver and Ottawa for the seat.

On Sunday, Fréchette had said Macron could be an “influential actor” in the choice of headquarters city.

Quebec’s delegate-general in Paris, Henri-Paul Rousseau, later walked back those comments, noting that “generally, the presidents of other countries don’t get involved in the decisions of other presidents.”

“This is a decision made at the federal level. So it’s Prime Minister Mark Carney who will choose,” Fréchette said Monday.

• Marc Parent named Quebec’s special envoy for defence bank

As he welcomed the Quebec premier on the steps of the Élysée, Macron said Quebec could help France in “many areas,” such as “research,” “AI,” and “strategy.”

“Quebec is always welcome,” he added.

Minutes earlier, the premier had met with her French counterpart, Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu, at Matignon.

The meeting also provided an opportunity for Investissement Québec to renew a reciprocity agreement with Business France, aimed at supporting Quebec companies in France and French companies in Quebec.

Critical minerals

Earlier Monday, Fréchette promoted Quebec as a “trusted partner” for France and Europe in the critical and strategic minerals sector, speaking at a roundtable with French government representatives and economic stakeholders at the Quebec delegation in Paris.

The premier highlighted Quebec’s “major strengths” in critical minerals.

“First, we have the resources in Quebec’s soil. So, a very important point: we hold the largest share of Canadian critical and strategic minerals — a good portion of them. We have 28 in total,” she said.

Fréchette said she wants to develop the sector in a “sustainable” and “responsible” way, pointing to Quebec’s clean energy.

With Europe planning to invest 800 billion euros in rearmament, the government hopes Quebec can carve out its share of defence contracts.

According to Fréchette, critical minerals hold “strategic importance” in “an era marked by geopolitical upheaval.”

“We’re in a period where spending related to defence and critical and strategic minerals will keep growing. That’s the case here in Europe, and it’s also the case in Canada, with a desire to raise our NATO budget contribution to 5 per cent. There will be colossal spending tied to defence as a result,” the premier said.

Minister of International Relations and La Francophonie Christopher Skeete and Rousseau were also present at the roundtable.

This is Fréchette’s second foreign mission. She travelled to Washington several weeks ago.

The premier is in Paris until May 20.

By Thomas Laberge

- This report by The Canadian Press was first published in French on May 18, 2026.