Quebec premier says Europes rearmament extraordinary opportunity for province [Video]

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.

Critical minerals: Legault wants to speed up mining projects

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 …