Incumbent Quebec minister directs F-word at Trump in radio interview

MONTREAL — An incumbent Quebec minister is being compared to Ontario Premier Doug Ford after directing the F-word at American President Donald Trump in a radio interview on Wednesday.

“F — k you, e — i,” said Bernard Drainville bluntly, combining English and French swear words while discussing the breakdown of trade negotiations between Canada and the United States.

The incumbent economy minister said he found it infuriating that the American president would try to undermine Canadian sovereignty.

He was referring to reports that the United States wanted to prohibit Canada from entering into trade agreements with other countries, and said he believes the Trump administration had a “genuine desire to say, ‘Canada is mine,'” with its final offer in the negotiations.

Drainville later said on social media that his choice of words was inappropriate but his indignation remains.

Before his post, Coalition Avenir Québec Leader Christine Fréchette had told journalists she wanted Drainville to walk back his comment.

Drainville vied for the Coalition Avenir Québec leadership earlier this year, but lost the race to Fréchette.

On social media, Drainville’s comments drew comparisons to Ford, who told Trump to “kiss (his) ass” in late August.

Daniel Béland, a McGill University political science professor, said it’s possible Drainville took a cue from Ford, since Fréchette’s party has been emphasizing the trade war with the United States during the electoral campaign.

He said he wasn’t surprised to see Fréchette call Drainville to order.

“Christine Fréchette did not seem to appreciate Drainville’s slip of the tongue and called him to order. Fréchette’s style is very different from Ford’s, so her reaction is understandable,” he said.

However, Danielle Pilette, a political science professor at Université du Québec à Montréal, said there are major differences between Drainville and Ford’s comments.

While Ford is the premier of Ontario, Drainville is in campaign mode.

Pilette said she believes Drainville is trying to reignite anger and fear toward Trump through personal attacks and that it could benefit the party as a whole. She said the Coalition Avenir Québec is relying on “typical CAQ doublespeak.”

“Fréchette gives no indication that she disagrees with Drainville’s remarks because it could be advantageous and give the campaign fresh momentum,” she said.

Fréchette herself took the stage and declared Trump her “real opponent” on the first day of the electoral campaign.

However, Fréchette wants to maintain a clean image by asking Drainville to retract his comments, Pilette added.

She said the incumbent premier has been benefiting from her proximity to Prime Minister Mark Carney, who has been more temperate in his approach to the American president.

“Fréchette is asking to project an image that is compatible with Carney’s, but that doesn’t mean the CAQ isn’t benefiting … from (Drainville)’s more populist attacks against Trump,” said Pilette.

The professor believes the difference in their approach isn’t simply one of personality, but also reflects the ridings they want to represent.

“It’s not just a good cop, bad cop situation,” Pilette said.

Drainville is running in Lévis, on the south shore of Quebec City, which Pilette said is largely made up of entrepreneurs who sell and export to the United States.

Meanwhile, Fréchette has been representing the riding of Sanguinet and is running in Trois-Rivières, two metropolitan areas.

“It’s a matter of targeting districts that might try to vote differently, and bombarding them with this kind of doubletalk tailored to specific district profiles — that is, the ridings — that are essential to the CAQ,” Pilette said.

When former premier François Legault stepped down in January, the Coalition Avenir Québec had tanked in the polls and was on its way to being erased from the legislature.

But recent polls show the Coalition Avenir Québec catching up to the Parti Québécois, which has been leading in public opinion since 2023.

Quebecers will be heading to the polls for the election on Oct. 5.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 3, 2026.

Erika Morris, The Canadian Press