09/26/2026
A report from Le Journal de Québec says representatives of the U.S. administration approached Quebec officials in recent months about discussing possible reductions to tariffs affecting the province, including those on aluminum.
Two senior Quebec government sources told the newspaper that the U.S. Embassy in Ottawa made the approach and that Quebec informed the federal government about it.
According to those sources, the conversations never developed into formal tariff negotiations.
One Quebec source said the episode strengthened concerns that foreign actors could have an interest in exploiting divisions inside Canada during the current trade dispute.
That interpretation remains an allegation rather than an established motive for the American outreach, and the U.S. Trade Representative had not responded to the newspaper’s questions when the report was published.
Quebec’s premier’s office said the province maintains its own relationships with American officials while remaining committed to Canada’s pan-Canadian strategy in the trade conflict.
The broader context matters because Quebec routinely maintains diplomatic and economic offices in the United States and Premier Christine Fréchette travelled to Washington earlier this year to promote Quebec’s interests ahead of the CUSMA review.
The unusual part is the reported attempt to discuss tariff relief directly with a provincial government while Ottawa is leading Canada’s national trade negotiations.
(Source: Le Journal de Québec, Government of Quebec, Global Affairs Canada)
