| Ministry of International Relations and La Francophonie | |
| Native Name: | Ministère des Relations internationales et de la Francophonie |
| Minister1 Name: | Martine Biron |
The Ministry of International Relations and La Francophonie (French: Ministère des Relations internationales et de la Francophonie) is a department in the Government of Quebec. Its primary task is to "promote and defend Québec’s interests internationally."[1]
It was established by the government of Daniel Johnson in 1967 as the Ministry of Intergovernmental Affairs, replacing and expanding on an earlier Ministry of Federal-Provincial Relations.[2]
As of 2010, one of the ministry's responsibilities is overseeing Quebec's relationship with the Francophonie.[3] This responsibility was formerly held by a different member of cabinet.
The department is overseen by the Minister of International Relations, who is also styled as the minister responsible for the Francophonie. The current minister is Martine Biron.[4]
Sylvain Simard, who served as minister from 1996 to 1998, was also styled as the minister responsible for international humanitarian action from 1997 to 1998.
| In office | Cabinet | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| bgcolor= | Bernard Landry Minister of International Relations | Parti Québécois | March 5, 1984 | October 6, 1985 | Lévesque | |
| Louise Beaudoin Minister of International Relations | None | October 6, 1985 | December 12, 1985 | P.M. Johnson | ||
| bgcolor= | Gil Rémillard Minister of International Relations | Liberal | December 12, 1985 | June 23, 1988 | Bourassa II | |
| bgcolor= | Paul Gobeil Minister of International Affairs | June 23, 1988 | October 11, 1989 | |||
| bgcolor= | John Ciaccia Minister of International Affairs | October 11, 1989 | January 11, 1994 | |||
| bgcolor= | John Ciaccia Minister of International Affairs, Immigration, and Cultural Communities | January 11, 1994 | September 26, 1994 | Johnson Jr. | ||
| bgcolor= | Bernard Landry Minister of International Affairs, Immigration, and Cultural Communities | Parti Québécois | September 26, 1994 | January 29, 1996 | Parizeau | |
| bgcolor= | Sylvain Simard Minister of International Relations | January 29, 1996 | December 15, 1998 | Bouchard | ||
| bgcolor= | Louise Beaudoin Minister of International Relations | December 15, 1998 | March 8, 2001 | |||
| bgcolor= | Louise Beaudoin Minister of State for International Relations | March 8, 2001 | April 29, 2003 | Landry | ||
| bgcolor= | Monique Gagnon-Tremblay Minister of International Relations | Liberal | April 29, 2003 | December 18, 2008 | Charest | |
| bgcolor= | Pierre Arcand Minister of International Relations | December 18, 2008 | August 11, 2010 | |||
| bgcolor= | Monique Gagnon-Tremblay Minister of International Relations | August 11, 2010 | September 19, 2012 | |||
| bgcolor= | Jean-François Lisée Minister of International Relations, La Francophonie and Trade | Parti Québécois | September 19, 2012 | April 23, 2014 | Marois | |
| bgcolor= | Christine St-Pierre Minister of International Relations and La Francophonie | Liberal | April 23, 2014 | October 18, 2018 | Couillard | |
| bgcolor= | Nadine Girault Minister of International Relations and La Francophonie | Coalition Avenir Québec | October 18, 2018 | October 20, 2022 | Legault | |
| bgcolor= | Martine Biron Minister of International Relations and La Francophonie | October 20, 2022 | Incumbent |
The ministry operates the Quebec Government Offices, de facto embassies which serve as communication depots between the Government of Quebec and governments outside of Canada. None of the offices in 28 countries have official diplomatic accreditation, but they serve as venues for paradiplomacy.