Premier Pauline Marois got what she came to Paris for, as French president Fran?ois Hollande reinstated the historical policy that has governed diplomatic relations between France and Quebec.
After referring to the ?closeness of the ties? and the ?fraternity? that exists between France and Quebec, Mr. Hollande explained that the ?non-interference, non-indifference? policy that has prevailed since 1977 will remain his government?s policy, while stopping short of repeating the formula itself.
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?This formula has been in place for more than 30 years. It has been carried out by all the successive [French] governments, so this formula still prevails today. I am for continuity,? he said during a short press conference held right after his more than 50-minute meeting with Ms. Marois at the Elys?e presidential palace.
Mr. Hollande chose not to mention the controversy sparked in Quebec by his predecessor Nicolas Sarkozy, who dramatically broke off with that tradition by dismissing Quebec?s aspirations towards independence, associating them to a bygone sectarianism.
The ?non-interference, non-indifference? policy, or ?ni-ni? as it is dubbed in French, establishes that France will remain neutral if there is another referendum on the independence of Quebec, but that a French government would support Quebeckers should they democratically decide to leave Canada.
A smiling Ms. Marois said her meeting with Mr. Hollande had been ?very cordial.? One of the Quebec Premier?s goals was to inform the French President of the new policies that will be carried out by the new PQ government.
Mr. Marois briefed Mr. Hollande on the powers that she hopes to reclaim from the federal government. ?We will rapidly try to repatriate the sums of money that are within our jurisdictions, and we will open talks on the repatriation of certain powers," she said. "But we are aware that we are a minority government and that imposes certain limits.?
Mr. Hollande and Mr. Marois discussed free trade, education and technical training during their meeting. Jean-Fran?ois Lis?e, Quebec?s minister of international relations and external commerce, who accompanied Ms. Marois, did not give out any details, however, on the free trade negotiations that are currently under way between Canada and Europe.
?There are similarities between our objectives and in the means that we have chosen to reach them,? said Ms. Marois. Both these newly elected leaders have chosen to tax more heavily their richest citizens to attain their deficit reduction targets, although the Marois government had to backtrack last week on the retroactivity of her fiscal measures.
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