WINNIPEG — Manitoba’s trade representative says Wednesday’s surprise tariff announcement underscores the challenge of navigating the administration of U.S. President Donald Trump.
Richard Madan said the announcement came a day after he led Manitoba’s first delegation to meet with senior U.S. trade representatives to push for predictability at the border.
“We were not given a heads-up,” Madan said in an interview from his office in Washington, D.C.
“The (Trump) administration, they just drop stuff at any time.”
The latest U.S. tariff proposal out Wednesday is for a 10 per cent additional tariff on Canada and other countries after an investigation into forced labour in supply chains.
The six-person delegation also included representatives from the Manitoba Chambers of Commerce, Manitoba Pork Council, Keystone Agricultural Producers and the Business Council of Manitoba. Paul Soubrey, former CEO of New Flyer Industries, also attended.
Madan said the group talked about the benefits the province’s trade relationship brings to the U.S.
“We went in there with a very positive message, essentially how Manitoba helps the United States,” he said.
“I cracked a joke at the beginning: Manitoba literally brings home the bacon from Iowa down to Missouri, because a lot of the pork that’s processed from Manitoba goes into the U.S. and processed there.”
In Winnipeg, Manitoba Premier Wab Kinew was more direct when asked about the tariffs.
“We want to see the Trump administration back down from trying to attack our economy. There’s no reason for it,” he said.
“And if the Trump administration attacks us, we have to push back.”
The latest proposed tariff increase wouldn’t apply to goods compliant under the Canada-U.S.-Mexico-Agreement on trade, meaning much of Manitoba’s exports to the U.S. will remain unaffected.
Agriculture dominates those exports, which totalled more than $7 billion in goods between January and June last year.
But the uncertainty itself is affecting business investment, as is having to adapt to ever-changing rules, Madan said.
He led a survey that heard from more than 100 business, labour and Indigenous groups in the province to identify their top trade goals and concerns.
The report, released last week, said that a key message was how predictability and stability matter just as much as market access.
“The ongoing uncertainty is really hurting investment in the province,” Madan said.
“That was a message that we heard from the delegation loud and clear.”
He said, however, that he left encouraged, and hoped to have more engagement ahead with U.S. trade officials.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 3, 2026.
Ian Bickis, The Canadian Press
