World news 36K views since yesterday

Trump's provincial congratulations enter Carney's Canada-EU summit dispute

A Quebec demand for speaking time prompts debate over federal authority, while panelists question the political value of Trump's attention.

Channel: CBC News ·

CanadaStory of October 28, 2026Trari Newsroom

Why this story? One of CBC News's most watched videos since yesterday, with 36,498 views.

CBC News: The news division of the CBC, Canada's public broadcaster. 4.8M subscribers and 3.4B views.

Trump takes dig at Carney in congratulating Quebec, B.C. election winners | Power & Politics

Things we can learn from the video

Press to jump

0:24Quebec's premier objects to being denied summit speaking time; Trump congratulates Quebec and British Columbia election winners.
1:31Cullen argues that disputes with Ottawa help Quebec's separatist government build its longer-term political case.
3:12Dwivedi defends federal authority at the international summit; Ellerton subsequently supports Carney's refusal to yield speaking time.
5:08Wherry questions whether the speaking dispute resonates beyond committed Quebec partisans.
8:41Panelists assess Trump's Canadian interventions, their midterm context and the potential drawbacks of association with MAGA politics.

Quebec's new premier wants a speaking role at the Canada-EU summit in Montreal. Ottawa has not given him one, and Donald Trump's congratulations to provincial election winners have added another political complication to Prime Minister Mark Carney's week.

Canada's Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, through CBC News' Power & Politics, brings the two developments together in a discussion hosted by David Cochrane. The report describes Trump's social media messages congratulating Quebec Premier Paul St-Pierre Plamondon and British Columbia premier-designate Lorne Doerkson as another taunt directed at Carney. It does not present them as a change in American policy.

St-Pierre Plamondon leads the Parti Québécois, which advocates Quebec's independence from Canada. His complaint about being denied speaking time therefore carries a wider question: who represents Quebec internationally when its provincial government and the federal government have different political objectives?

Former NDP MP and British Columbia minister Nathan Cullen argues that the separatist government can use disputes with Ottawa to build a longer-term case for independence. Former Trudeau adviser Supriya Dwivedi defends Carney's handling of an international event under federal jurisdiction. Former Conservative staffer Jamie Ellerton also sees no reason for Carney to concede the speaking slot, adding that European leaders are familiar with internal political disagreements.

CBC senior writer Aaron Wherry questions whether the dispute matters much to Quebec voters beyond committed partisans. The summit itself is intended to open formal discussions about closer Canadian-European ties, according to Carney's remarks presented in the segment.

The panel later turns more directly to Trump. Dwivedi argues that Canadian politicians generally have reason to avoid close association with his MAGA movement. Ellerton interprets the posts as distraction ahead of the US midterms, while Wherry cites polling showing overwhelmingly negative Canadian impressions of the president. Their distinction is between attracting Trump's attention and gaining something politically useful from it.