Canada’s Minister of Innovation, Science and Industry, François-Philippe Champagne, is visiting our southern neighbors this week to strengthen ties with the United States.
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The Canadian government is thus giving itself the means to ward off possible moments of friction with the greatest power in the world in the event that Donald Trump could find himself at the head of the country.
Moreover, this is a question that Mr. Champagne skillfully avoids in his interview with host Richard Latendresse on the show Contexts.
According to the minister visiting Washington, the relationship between the United States and Canada “is the indispensable relationship of our American neighbors.”
However, he points out that few people in the American capital think about Canada.
Contexts
He therefore makes it his mission to “recall the importance of trade” and also that of “national security” so that both countries can prosper.
“I’ll give you an example: aluminum from Saguenay Vert goes into BMW cars in South Carolina. I meet the governor, I explain this to him. I also talk to them about the titanium that we make in Sorel and which goes to American defense, but that’s things that we know,” he explains while specifying that he is important to remind Americans of this.
“It’s an asymmetrical relationship,” he continues. We know that, but obviously, in Washington, there are a lot of things happening and we need to get the message across.”
Comparing the American capital to the “center of the world,” Mr. Champagne admits that it is necessary to do this work since Canadian interests can easily be erased in this place where so many decisions are made.
- Listen to the interview with François-Philippe Champagne, federal MP for Saint-Maurice—Champlain and Minister of Innovation, Science and Industry on Alexandre Dubé via QUB radio :
What if Trump became president again?
Richard Latendresse then asks the minister if the honor of his visit could have a link with the possibility of seeing Donald Trump as president again.
“In an election year, it’s always good,” retorts Mr. Champagne.
The representative of the liberal government then recounts the numerous meetings he had with the various governors.
“Do you know what I said to the governor of Georgia? he asks the journalist. You wish it was there.”
Contexts
“I said, ‘Listen, Mr. Governor, you don’t know me, but I can tell you that I’m probably the most important person you’ll meet today,'” he said.
Of course, Mr. Champagne recognizes that this statement greatly surprised the governor.
“I said: ‘you have green car factories, electric vehicles’. I added: “It works well, I have the critical minerals.”
Thus, Mr. Champagne affirms that American leaders have “advantage” to speak with Canadian representatives.
***Watch the full interview in the video above***
