Dion tacitly pans Le Pen, wants France to have pro-Europe leader
OTTAWA — Former Liberal leader Stephane Dion — the prime minister’s hand-picked special envoy to Europe — has weighed in on France’s fractious election, saying Canada wants the new French leader to keep the country active in the European Union.
Asked about the prospects of French far-right candidate Marine Le Pen winning Sunday’s run-off election against the pro-Europe candidate Emmanuel Macron, Dion said Canada prefers the latter.
“We prefer to see at the head of a key country like France in Europe a president who is believing like us, that European integration is an asset for the world,” Dion told reporters today.
“We much prefer to have as the president of a friendly country a person that shares our values regarding openness, respect for diversity.