Quebec premier embarks on her first overseas mission as head of government

Quebec Premier Christine Frechette arrives for a meeting with Prime Minister Mark Carney on Parliament Hill in Ottawa on Friday, April 17, 2026. (Sean Kilpatrick/The Canadian Press)

Quebec Premier Christine Fréchette will travel to Washington on Monday for her first official foreign mission.

She will arrive there just as the U.S. capital has been shaken by what appears to be another assassination attempt targeting U.S. President Donald Trump.

The visit comes just two months before trade negotiations begin on the Canada-United States-Mexico Agreement, scheduled for July 1.

Quebec companies have been significantly impacted by a series of tariffs introduced by the Trump administration since he took office in 2025.

During her visit, Fréchette is scheduled to meet Canada’s ambassador to the United States, Mark Wiseman, and participate in a roundtable with American and Canada–U. S. business associations.

She also plans to hold talks with congressional contacts whose names have not been disclosed.

The United States remains Quebec’s top trading partner, receiving 73.5 per cent of its exports in 2024, worth $91.2 billion.

The exports mainly consist of aerospace products, aluminum, aircraft engines, and mineral goods such as gold, silver, platinum group metals and their alloys.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published on April 26, 2026.