The opposition is accusing Toronto of starting a fear campaign against Quebec to secure the headquarters of the future Defence Bank. However, Premier Christine Fréchette refused to attack Ontario. La Presse reported that promoters allegedly used the separatist threat to undermine Montreal’s bid to secure this new international institution. “I’m not buying into that; we have everything we need to position ourselves,” Fréchette argued during a press scrum in response to several questions about whether she deplored Toronto’s tactics. The Minister of Canadian Relations, Jean Boulet, was more explicit. “I think we need to promote Montreal’s bid without resorting to fear,” he said during a press scrum. “We won’t get involved in a fear campaign.” “They’ve been doing this for a while, but when you resort to fear tactics, it’s because you don’t have much to show for yourself,” Montreal Mayor Soraya Martinez Ferrada told La Presse. Questioned in the National Assembly, Quebec’s Minister of International Relations, Christopher Skeete, denounced the situation. “It’s clear that Toronto always wins when Quebec is divided. We, on the other hand, will highlight Quebec’s major strengths in this matter,” he said during a press scrum. Earlier in the morning, the House Leader of the Quebec Liberal Party (PLQ), Marc Tanguay, had stated that it was not inaccurate to say that a potential referendum leads to economic instability. He nevertheless urged Toronto to stop using such “tactics” that “have no place.” “Don’t go there, don’t go there. Quebec isn’t going to secede, because Charles Milliard’s Liberal Party is here,” he said. Québec solidaire (QS) co-spokesperson Sol Zanetti also denounced “fear-mongering.” “Montreal is a major city that is already home to many high-level international organizations … Montreal has everything it needs to host any organization and has nothing to envy Toronto,” he said. According to Pascal Paradis of the Parti Québécois (PQ), Toronto is using false arguments. “People in Toronto are building a campaign based on fear of hypothetical instability that has not been proven,” he added. This report by The Canadian Press was first published in French on May 7, 2026. Patrice Bergeron, The Canadian Press
