Politics · Canada · 1 hr ago
Trump congratulates newly elected Quebec and B.C. leaders
U.S. President Donald Trump congratulated Quebec's new premier, Paul St-Pierre Plamondon, and B.C.'s premier-designate, Lorne Doerkson, in social media posts on Tuesday.
Public congratulations from U.S. presidents to Canadian provincial leaders are unusual; the tradition is for leaders to congratulate their direct counterparts.
Trump praised St-Pierre Plamondon, a sovereignist leader, and shared a headline describing his party's win as a blow to Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney.
Trump called Doerkson's win a sign that conservatives are gaining strength in Canada and noted that the B.C. Conservatives had won for the first time in about a century.
Some prominent Canadian Conservatives criticized U.S. Ambassador Pete Hoekstra for sharing Trump's praise and said Canadian conservatism is not the same as Trump's MAGA movement.
Bloc Québécois Leader Yves-François Blanchet said Trump's comments mattered more if they concerned reducing tariffs, amid tensions between the countries.
The posts have added to debate about Trump's role in Canadian politics and U.S.-Canada relations; the sources do not describe any next steps.
U.S. President Donald Trump congratulated Quebec’s newly elected premier and British Columbia’s premier-designate in social media posts.
The praise for Quebec’s Paul St-Pierre Plamondon included a swipe at Prime Minister Mark Carney.
Trump called Lorne Doerkson’s British Columbia win a “big victory” and said conservatives were “moving strong in Canada.”
The comments were an unusual departure from the tradition of U.S. presidents and Canadian prime ministers congratulating only their direct counterparts.
Some Canadian Conservatives criticized Trump’s remarks and U.S. Ambassador Pete Hoekstra’s decision to share a post about the B.C. result.
- Who
- U.S. President Donald Trump congratulated Quebec premier Paul St-Pierre Plamondon and B.C. premier-designate Lorne Doerkson.
- What
- Trump praised the leaders’ election wins in social media posts.
- When
- Tuesday, according to CBC. Article 1 says the Parti Québécois won the Oct. 5 election.
- Where
- Quebec and British Columbia, Canada; Trump posted on Truth Social.
- Why
- Trump praised the election victories. The sources do not state a further reason.
Donald Trump and supporters of his congratulations
Canadian critics of the comments
Meaning of the congratulations
Donald Trump and supporters of his congratulations
Trump praised the Quebec and B.C. election victories.
Canadian critics of the comments
Critics said the remarks were not meaningful or showed a lack of understanding of Canada.
Political alignment
Donald Trump and supporters of his congratulations
Trump described the B.C. win as evidence of conservatives “moving strong in Canada.
Canadian critics of the comments
Canadian Conservative commentators said being conservative in Canada does not mean being aligned with Trump.
Article 1 says the Parti Québécois won the election.
The B.C. Conservatives won; CBC said it was the party’s first victory in about a century.
Trump congratulated incoming B.C. premier Lorne Doerkson in a post shared by U.S. Ambassador Pete Hoekstra.
Trump congratulated the new premiers of Quebec and B.C. in a pair of Truth Social posts, according to CBC.
- Quebec premier
- Paul St-Pierre Plamondon
- B.C. premier-designate
- Lorne Doerkson
- B.C. party
- B.C. Conservatives
- B.C. party’s previous victory
- About a century earlier
- MAGA-aligned party vote in B.C.
- One B.C. received 1.5 per cent of the vote
4 sources
What people are saying
Actually Mr. Trump is unpredictable and not so meaningful of what he says.... There's no lost love between Quebecers and Mr. Trump
It is impressive how bad you are at understanding the basic elements of your job or the simple truths of the country you are privileged to live in
The MAGA party in B.C. is called One B.C. They got 1.5 per cent of the vote. More than Trump would get, I suspect
unacceptable threats, tariffs and rhetoric from a bully south of the border
Posts on X
I’ll leave this here for afternoon tea. Lorne Doerkson, B.C. Conservative leader: “B.C. and Canada are facing unacceptable threats, tariffs and rhetoric from a bully south of the border.” “You stop a bully by being strong enough that you don’t need him.”