Joe Biden Is Officially US President & Here's How Quebec Politicians Are Reacting

It's also Vice President Kamala Harris' first day in office — a former Montrealer.

Joe Biden Is Officially US President & Here's How Quebec Politicians Are Reacting

Isabel Poulin | Dreamstime Patrick Barry | Dreamstime

Senior Writer

It's U.S. President Joe Biden's first day in office. Naturally, Quebec politicians had some thoughts on the inauguration of the new administration — and they took to social media to express them.

This day is especially meaningful for the province because Vice President Kamala Harris was a former Montrealer, who spent her formative years in the city, before becoming the first female vice president of the United States.

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Premier François Legault congratulated President Biden, stating, "We will continue working to strengthen our relationship to make Québec the green battery of Northeast America."

He also called Vice President Harris "the pride of Montreal," saying she'd always be welcome in Quebec.

Finally, Legault re-tweeted a video featuring Lady Gaga's inauguration performance (maybe he's one of her Little Monsters?) and captioned it "Journée d'espoir!" or "A day of hope!"

Montreal Mayor Valérie Plante, who faced backlash after wishing Biden and Harris good luck before the election, posted photos of first lady Jill Biden and Vice President Harris, saying "a page of history [has] turned."

She commented again the next day about how heartening it was to see three past presidents "of different political stripes wish the new president good luck," adding, "Finally decency and gentleness!"

QLP leader Dominique Anglade, Quebec's first Black female party leader, acknowledged the "long way and many battles" leading up to Harris becoming the first woman of colour vice president, which she called a "historic day."

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Ilana Belfer
Editor
Ilana Belfer (she/her) was an editor for MTL Blog. She's obsessed with great storytelling in all its forms having worked in print, radio, television, theatre, and digital media over the past decade. A graduate of Carleton University’s journalism program, her words have appeared in The Globe and Mail, the Toronto Star, The Kit, VICE, Salon, Foodism TO & more — covering everything from cam girls to COVID-19. Ilana can usually be found with her dog André, tracking down Montreal’s prettiest ruelles vertes and tastiest treats.