WASHINGTON – Quebec’s premier met today in Washington D.C. with U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer, an influential member of President Donald Trump’s cabinet.
Christine Fréchette met Greer ahead of negotiations between Canada, the U.S. and Mexico on the continental free-trade pact, scheduled to begin July 1.
Fréchette’s office did not release details yet from the meeting with Greer, a former U.S. air force lawyer who was chief of staff to Trump’s first-term trade representative, Robert Lighthizer.
She is in Washington on her first official foreign trip since she was sworn in as premier earlier this month.
Earlier in the day she held a roundtable discussion with representatives of business associations including the National Lumber and Building Material Dealers Association and General Motors.
The United States is Quebec’s main trading partner, but since March 2025 U.S. tariffs have hit several of the province’s industrial sectors hard.
In 2024, nearly three-quarters of Quebec’s exports (73.5 per cent) were destined for the U.S. market, valued at $91.2 billion. These consisted mainly of aircraft, aluminum, aircraft engines, and mining products such as gold, silver, platinum group metals, and their alloys.
Greer’s official website says he “has made it a priority to put America First on trade by combating unfair foreign trade practices, expanding market access for Made in America products, and ensuring the United States has balance and reciprocity in its trading relationships.”
This report by The Canadian Press was first published April 27, 2026.
— With files from The Associated Press
