While François Legault, Benoit Charette and Valérie Plante went to New York this week to represent Quebec at Climate Week, the mayor of Quebec, Bruno Marchand, passed his turn.
The mayor would not have been able to promote Quebec’s economy to its true value, he believes. “We considered it, but the delegate from Quebec told us: this is not the best time to promote Quebec, come at another time,” explained Bruno Marchand on Sunday in the press scrum. The large number of participants in Climate Week and its “terrible” excitement would not have allowed him to maximize the trip.
However, he promises that it is only a postponement between Quebec and New York. “We’re definitely going to go, but we’re going to find the best time. We don’t want it to be a waste of time or for it to cost money for nothing.”
The mayor of Quebec is preparing his next mission outside Quebec, which will take place in France and Belgium from October 6 to 15. This is criticized by the two opposition parties, who judge that the mayor is “never where he should be” and that it is “time for him to go to the United States”.
“There will be missions in the United States and there will be elsewhere, but they have not been determined,” replied Mr. Marchand. “We find the best ways to travel as little as possible and to make it as efficient as possible.”
Belgium and France in October
If Bruno Marchand’s fourth mission will be his fourth in Europe, it is only a question of circumstances, he promises. “I said yes because I am president of the Office for Heritage Cities and I chair the meeting which takes place in Belgium. Quebec has a leadership role, so obviously, we’re going to go there.”
To this trip to Belgium, the mayor joined the annual Pollutec environmental fair, where he will make presentations on new technologies and environmental companies, in order to “support the economy of Quebec” and “present the wow effect of Quebec. This mission fits with the mayor’s objectives of learning, promoting Quebec and attracting “talent and capital” to the capital.
The mayor of Quebec says he refuses the majority of international mission offers, in particular to prioritize work in his own city.
“Just this fall, I must have easily received more than a dozen mission invitations. We say no to the majority. »
—Bruno Marchand
At the start of his mandate, Mayor Marchand committed to carrying out a maximum of four diplomatic missions per year. “This is the second year that is coming to an end and we will have made four trips instead of eight,” he says happily.
Since his election in November 2021, the mayor has taken part in four missions outside Quebec.
November 2022: France and TunisiaMarch 2023: Copenhagen, Sweden, FinlandApril 2023: France and BelgiumOctober 2023: France and Belgium
2023-09-24 21:51:20
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