Quebec premier says Europe’s rearmament ‘extraordinary opportunity’ for province

As the U.S. signals it may no longer be willing to protect Canada or the EU, Legault said in Germany that several Quebec sectors could contribute to Europe's rearmament effort.

Quebec’s premier believes Europe’s rearmament presents an “extraordinary opportunity” for his province as it tries to diversify trade away from the United States.

Francois Legault told a gathering in Hannover, Germany, that Europe plans to spend hundreds of billions of dollars on defence in the coming years as U.S. President Donald Trump has signaled he may no longer be willing to protect Canada or the European Union.

Legault says several Quebec sectors could contribute to the EU effort, including shipbuilding, aerospace, critical minerals and artificial intelligence.

With the uncertainty caused by Trump’s tariffs and the job losses that could ensue, Legault wants to put his foot on the accelerator for mining projects so Quebec can exploit its critical minerals more quickly.

“We’re going to have to have shorter lead times. We need to get rid of all the work and bureaucracy involved in obtaining permits,” he said on Monday.

“In the mining sector, we have a golden opportunity,” added the premier.

Legault’s economic mission in Germany is to promote Quebec’s comparative advantages, including critical minerals.

“A number of German companies have told me that, whether for defence or cars, they need all sorts of critical minerals that we have. So we need to deliver projects more quickly,” he maintained.