Prime Ministers Justin Trudeau and François Legault both congratulated French President Emmanuel Macron on Sunday, who became the first head of state to win a second five-year term since Jacques Chirac in 2002.
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“Congratulations, @EmmanuelMacron. I look forward to continuing our work together on issues important to Canadians and French people — from defending democracy, to the fight against climate change and to economic growth for the middle class,” said the Premier of Canada on its Twitter feed about an hour and a half after Mr. Macron’s victory was announced.
In an official statement, Justin Trudeau added that he intended to continue to cooperate with France in several international forums, including the United Nations, NATO, the G7 and the G20.
“United by a common language, we are also key partners within the International Organization of La Francophonie. We have a progressive trade relationship that helps create jobs and opportunities for people on both sides of the Atlantic,” said the Prime Minister of Canada.
Mr. Trudeau also wants Canada and France to continue to work together to defend democracy and human rights in the face of “the illegal, unprovoked and unjustifiable invasion of Ukraine by Russia.”
“In these uncertain times, strengthening the relationship between the countries is a top priority. Canada and France will continue to work together to defend their common values and build a prosperous future for the people of both countries,” said the Canadian Prime Minister.
His counterpart in Quebec, François Legault, had meanwhile reacted just a few minutes after the announcement of the results.
“On behalf of the govt. du Qc, I would like to congratulate @EmmanuelMacron on his re-election as President of the French Republic,” tweeted Mr. Legault.
“I look forward to continuing the work we have started. I am proud of the relationship that Quebec has with France and of the friendship that unites our nations,” continued the Premier of Quebec.
The Minister of International Relations, Nadine Girault, also praised the good relations between Quebec and France.
“We have a very close relationship with France and that’s very important to us. We are very happy to continue working with Emmanuel Macron’s team,” said Ms. Girault in an interview with TVA Nouvelles.
This praised the exchanges on the cultural and language levels, but also from an economic point of view. This issue had been criticized by Ms. Le Pen during the presidential debate of the second round last Wednesday, with a comment on the imports of Canadian beef too important for her taste.
“We import from France much more than we export. We export $1.5 billion and import $3.3 billion. We still have room to export to France,” noted Ms. Girault.
Emmanuel Macron managed to win the second round of the presidential elections by obtaining the favor of approximately 58.2% of voters, according to the preliminary results unveiled at 8 p.m. France time (2 p.m. in Quebec).
His opponent, the far-right candidate Marine Le Pen, received the support of 41.8% of voters, a peak never before reached for this political camp in France.