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Hannover – Quebec Prime Minister François Legault believes that the heavy duty in Europe has brought “extraordinary opportunities” to his province as it tries to diversify trade from the United States.
Legault said at a party in Hanover, Germany that Europe plans to spend hundreds of billions of dollars in defense in the coming years, as U.S. President Donald Trump said he may no longer be willing to protect Canada or the European Union.
The head of EU executives proposed an 80 billion European defense plan aimed at reducing the impact of US disengagement and supporting Ukraine in the war with Russia.
Several Quebec departments could contribute to the effort, including shipbuilding, aerospace, critical minerals and artificial intelligence, Legault said.
Legault has been in Germany until April 2 on an economic mission, aiming to seek new partners amid Trump’s tariff threat to Canada.
Quebec must turn the worries and anger of the trade war into opportunities to redefine and strengthen its economy, he wrote on social media on Sunday.
Legette sent a clear message to Trump in his speech to the delegation of Quebec, who imposed 25% of his duties on Canadian aluminum. Legault notes Quebec provides 60% of U.S. aluminum demand.
“Now, Mr. Trump said, ‘I don’t need you guys’ … Personally, it’s nice to take most of our aluminum and find places like Germany to send it,” he said, adding that this will force Trump to “find aluminum elsewhere.”
The president of Quebec’s investment department acknowledged that it would be difficult to penetrate the European defense market, but it is not impossible given the province’s expertise.
“I think Quebec has certainly a defense opportunity, both at the helicopter, aircraft, flight simulator level,” Hubert Bolduc said.
Legault’s trip ended Wednesday – on the same day Trump threatened to impose new tariffs on Canadian goods.
This report by Canadian media was first released on March 30, 2025.
Thomas Laberge, Canadian media
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