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On Thursday, French President Emmanuel Macron landed in Canada and received a warm welcome from Prime Minister Justin Trudeau. They are scheduled to hold a series of meetings focusing on French-language connections and the advancement of artificial intelligence. Both leaders, known for their close relationship, are currently dealing with significant political challenges in their respective countries.
Macron, who arrived late Wednesday from New York where he had spoken at the United Nations, was received by his host at the Rideau Cottage residence in Ottawa, the Canadian capital, for a working dinner.
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Trudeau, who appeared without a tie and relaxed on the steps of his home, had just escaped censure in a motion filed by his main rival, Conservative leader Pierre Poilievre.
The prime minister and his guest, who both embodied a new generation of young, optimistic leaders, are now experiencing similar political headwinds.
At the G7 summit in Italy, shortly after Macron’s election in May 2017, their apparent chumminess which had been dubbed as a diplomatic “bromance” — spurred many a headline. But seven years later, Macron is in a weakened position, having lost legislative elections that he himself called, forcing him to share power with a right-wing prime minister.
The two beleaguered leaders decided to emphasize the strategic partnership between their two countries, focusing on their French-language ties and joint approaches to the development of artificial intelligence.
“Canada is an extremely close country, one of the closest outside the European Union,” commented the French presidency ahead of the visit.
Macron will discuss on Thursday morning the revival of the French language and culture in Canada, beyond Quebec, with stakeholders in this field, a week before a Francophonie Summit in France. Quebec is the only Canadian province with a French-speaking majority.
The goal is to “make the private sector contribute to strengthening our actions in the Francophonie, including education, the opening of new schools,” the Elysee said, promising announcements on the matter.
Macron will then meet Trudeau for official talks in Ottawa, followed by a lunch on artificial intelligence, in which the prime minister will also participate, and a joint press conference in Montreal, which has a large French community of nearly 200,000 people.
