Virtual roundtable explores U.S.-Quebec relations following elections on both sides of the border

Center for Canadian-American Studies will host "Québec-U.S. Relations: A Path Forward" Nov. 5, a virtual roundtable discussion on Québec-U.S. relations in light of upcoming U.S. federal midterm elections and the recent provincial elections.

The virtual roundtable will include welcoming remarks from David Ruiz, Quebec's delegate in Seattle, representing Quebec's government in the northwestern U.S. and supporting political, economic and institutional ties to the region.

"This event signals the deepened commitment by the Association for Canadian Studies in the United States and Canadian Studies programs like ours here at Western Washington University to invest in cross-border collaborations at times of uncertainty and on issues that affect us all," said Christina Keppie, director of the Center for Canadian-American Studies and immediate past president of the Association for Canadian Studies in the U.S.

"Working with the Québec government and its delegation in Seattle is an opportunity I'm excited about," Keppie said. "This is just one way we continue to build a mutually beneficial relationship that strengthens the Center for Canadian-American Studies' position as a key U.S. partner in cultural diplomacy and academic affairs in the Pacific Northwest."

Keppie will host the event, which brings together five scholars from Canada and the United States to examine the election campaign and results, their implications for Québec's governance and intergovernmental relations, and the future of Québec's engagement with the United States.

The roundtable will be moderated by Chris Kirkey, director of the Center for the Study of Canada and Institute on Quebec Studies at State University of New York at Plattsburgh.

Speakers will include:

• Alexandre Couture Gagnon, a professor at University of Texas Rio Grande Valley and public policy researcher.
• Scott Piroth, a teaching professor at Bowling Green State University in Ohio who is studying language use in Canada's House of Commons.
• Alexandre Turgeon, an assistant professor in the Department of History at Lakehead University in Ontario, who studies the links between history, collective memory and social media.
• Élisabeth Vallet, director of the Center for Geopolitical Studies of the Raoul-Dandurand Chair in Strategic and Diplomatic Studies at the University of Quebec in Montreal.
• Éric Bélanger, a professor in the Department of Political Science at McGill University, whose research includes political parties, public opinion and voting behavior.

The event is free and sponsored by the Center for Canadian-American Studies, The Foundation for WWU & Alumni, with support from Quebec's Ministry of International Relations and La Francaphonie, and the Association for Canadian Studies in the United States.

Learn more and register here.