Carney offers Quebec premier a summit dinner seat

Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney said Wednesday that Quebec Premier Paul St-Pierre Plamondon had been offered a seat at a dinner with European Union leaders and an opportunity to welcome them to Montreal, as the two governments disputed Quebec’s role in summit discussions. St-Pierre Plamondon has not confirmed whether he or representatives will attend the dinner, scheduled for Thursday, October 29, during the Canada-EU summit. The premier called on Ottawa to reverse its decision not to give him a speaking role at the summit. He said it was disrespectful to deny Quebec’s premier a place at an event in the province where, in his view, Quebec’s economic interests are being discussed. Carney said the invitations remained open and urged him to reconsider, describing the dinner as a chance to build relationships with EU leaders and improve ties between the two governments. The disagreement also concerns a request by Quebec to host a reception alongside the summit. The provincial government says Ottawa rejected the request, which it says was submitted by former premier Christine Fréchette in September. A Quebec government spokesperson said the EU regularly holds an economic...