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In an interview with Postmedia News, Mulcair said “the main issues we’re going to be looking at are economic,” and that he hopes to discuss how socialist France is working towards equitable trade and sustainable resource development. During his stay he will also have an opportunity to talk about how the French Socialist Party transitioned into power – information that could come in useful as his own party looks ahead to the next election.

“There’s a lot for us to put in place with a view of forming the government in 2015 and this type of contact is extremely important to us,” Mulcair said.

The visit may also serve as an attempt to undermine Liberal Leader Justin Trudeau, who has steadily been gaining support in Quebec. “He’s drawing a contrast for voters in Canada,” Hicks said of Mulcair. “He can go on these pseudo-state visits and the leader of the Liberal party can’t.”

In Quebec, where the NDP took 58 of the province’s 75 seats two years ago, results from a recent CROP poll for Quebec’s Le Presse newspaper show the Liberals to be the most popular party. This spring, they had a 38 per cent support rating compared with the NDP’s 30 per cent.

But Mulcair doesn’t seem concerned about the growing Liberal popularity, saying the NDP has the experience to lead a G7 country while the Liberal party does not. It’s a thought former NDP strategist Bill Tieleman said will be conveyed in Mulcair’s upcoming meeting.

“It just shows that he’s ready to govern and he’s seen as ready to govern by significant world powers,” Tieleman said, adding that official overseas meetings will likely become more commonplace for Mulcair over the next two years in advance of the 2015 election.

With files from Tobi Cohen, Postmedia News