Macron visits Saint-Pierre-et-Miquelon and meets Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney

First presidential stop in Saint-Pierre

French President Emmanuel Macron arrived in Saint-Pierre-et-Miquelon on Saturday, 19 September 2026, beginning a three-day official visit. The 72-hour stay represents Macron's first time visiting the North Atlantic archipelago since his election in 2017 and re-election in 2022. Jacques Cartier discovered the islands in the 16th century, and the territory became permanently French in 1816. With 5,790 residents, the archipelago is France's least populated overseas territory and sits more than 4,300 kilometres from mainland France. Because of this geography, the islands depend heavily on neighbouring Canada for healthcare, fishing access, shipping, and routine provisioning. Former minister Annick Girardin noted that the visit provides visibility for local development priorities, including the relocation project in Miquelon and potential investments in airport, digital, and space infrastructure.

This archipelago, long a fishing post, can become a geostrategic, airport, digital, and space platform at the gates of the Arctic route, alongside our Canadian and American neighbours.

Franco-Canadian talks in Saint-Pierre

On Sunday, Macron will host Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney in Saint-Pierre for bilateral discussions. The encounter is the first official visit by a Canadian prime minister to the archipelago. The meeting takes place following political friction sparked by statements from Donald Trump concerning Canada and Greenland. Trump previously brandished a map depicting the entire region, including Saint-Pierre-et-Miquelon, in United States colours, and Washington recently renamed a shared border lake. Macron and Carney plan to use their meeting to present a unified diplomatic front, affirming French territorial sovereignty and strengthening ties between Canada and the European Union.

Arctic routes and naval deployment

Security for France in the Northwest Atlantic centers on the Fulmar, a converted fishing trawler armed by the French Navy since 2009. The aging patrol boat, converted in 1997 and scheduled for replacement by 2030, represents the only permanent French military ship in the archipelago. Its patrol routes extend across the Northwest Atlantic to New York, Boston, the Canadian Great Lakes, and the entrance of the Northwest Passage. Melting summer sea ice has opened commercial navigation across the Northwest Passage, drawing maritime traffic and interest from competing global powers, including China and Russia.

All our competitors are in the region, so we must be present as well.

Regional military cooperation

Throughout August, the Fulmar deployed around Greenland, approximately 2,000 kilometres north of Saint-Pierre, to take part in joint maneuvers organized by the Canadian military. United States forces also attended the exercises in Nuuk despite diplomatic disputes between Washington and Ottawa. Ship commander Lieutenant de vaisseau Thibault described the Fulmar as a French sentinel tasked with maintaining sovereign presence alongside allied forces. Macron will conclude his tour on Monday with an inspection aboard the Fulmar before returning to Paris.

Our mission of presence and French sovereignty allows us to show everyone that we occupy the ground.