Minister Byrne meets with Minister Skeete of Quebec

Minister of State for European Affairs and Defence, Thomas Byrne TD, today (26 March) met with Quebec’s Minister of International Relations and La Francophonie, Christopher Skeete, in Dublin.

During their meeting, the Ministers reaffirmed the strong and growing relationship between Ireland and Quebec. Minister Byrne said: “I was delighted to meet Minister Skeete during his visit to Dublin. Ireland and Quebec share a unique relationship, rooted in centuries of shared history and heritage. Today’s discussion underlined our shared ambition to deepen our trade and cultural links further, and to explore partnerships in research and innovation. I look forward to building on these discussions to deliver concrete results in the years ahead.”

The Government is committed to deepening engagement with Quebec. In 2024, Ireland appointed Bryan O’Gallagher as Honorary Consul of Ireland to Quebec, while a dedicated Francophonie Officer was appointed to Ireland’s Embassy in Ottawa in 2025 to support outreach and engagement in Quebec.

The recent Canada-Ireland Economic Report, published in September 2025, highlights the significant potential for continued growth in trade and investment between Ireland and Canada across multiple sectors and provinces.

Minister Byrne commented: “Ireland is the now the tenth-largest investor in Canada, and bilateral trade has increased substantially since the provisional application of the Canada-EU Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement, known as CETA, in 2017. It should be noted that Ireland-Canada trade has nearly doubled from €4 billion in 2016, to €8 billion, in 2023.”

The Economic Report is being launched in Québec City today and in Montréal next month.

ENDS

Press Office

26 March 2026