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Winnipeg Free Press
4 days ago
- Business
- Winnipeg Free Press
Secure ties now or risk being left behind
Premier Wab Kinew is expected to announce the appointment of a provincial trade representative based out of Washington, D.C., next week, to fulfil a promise he made early this year. Experts say the trade rep shouldn't be a politician or a diplomat, but someone who knows Manitoba industry and trade and can build long-term relationships while finding ways to navigate the rocky shoals of U.S. protectionism and President Donald Trump's tariffs. Since December, Kinew has said Manitoba must have its own full-time trade officer working in the heart of the U.S. capital — preferably at the Canadian Embassy — where a few other provinces have someone working on their behalf to strengthen trade ties. BORIS MINKEVICH / free press files Former Manitoba premier Gary Doer, Canada's ambassador to the U.S. from 2009 to 2016, said provincial trade representatives during his time in Washington did 'excellent work' and were based out of the embassy on Pennsylvania Avenue, not far from the White House. After Trump was sworn in for his second term as U.S. president in January, he launched a trade war against Canada and other trading partners, imposed punishing tariffs, and threatened to annex Canada. In March, Manitoba pulled U.S. booze from Liquor Mart shelves in retaliation. On April 28, the Liberals were elected and Prime Minister Mark Carney said Canada's 'old relationship' based on integration with the U.S. 'is over.' It's more important than ever for Manitoba to have a voice in Washington and the ear of Canada's ambassador to the U.S., Kirsten Hillman, say Winnipeg business and trade experts and a former top politician and diplomat. 'This is a necessary step,' said Winnipeg Chamber of Commerce president Loren Remillard. Manitoba must start building relationships in Washington now or get left behind, he said. 'It's a strategic step, and it goes beyond just the current relationship with the Trump administration, it extends to future administrations,' said Remillard, who will host U.S. Ambassador Pete Hoekstra at a chamber event in Winnipeg on July 29. 'Relate first, negotiate second,' said Gary Doer, who was Manitoba's premier from 1999 to 2009, and Canada's ambassador to the U.S. from 2009 to 2016. Doer said provincial trade representatives conducted 'excellent work' out of the Canadian Embassy at that time, fostering trade and cross-border relationships. They benefited from having their office in the embassy on Pennsylvania Avenue — which gave them access to the Canadian government and put them in proximity to U.S. power, he said. 'You're working with federal bureaucracy, but not being completely dependent upon it, by having your own set of people with skills and connections when you're dealing with Washington,' Doer said. Some question the value of Manitoba setting up shop in the U.S. capital, where there are so many competing interests and while the president has ditched trade deals and rules. 'What are we going to get out of that?' asked Prof. Barry Prentice at the University of Manitoba's Asper School of Business. Trade deals, such as the Canada-U.S.-Mexico Agreement signed by Trump in 2018 during his first term, have since been undone by Trump, whose tariffs in 2025 are being challenged for violating the North American free trade pact. 'How many lobbyists are there in Washington, D.C. and how loud would our voice be to try and get anything done?' Prentice asked. Manitoba's time and money may be better spent focusing on states with which it does the most trade, in the U.S. Midwest and those to the south along the mid-continental corridor, he said. 'If I were going to invest money to expand trade, I might be more interested in Mexico than trying to talk to Washington,' Prentice said. Meantime, Canada is paying the price for taking U.S. trade for granted, said supply chain management expert Robert Parsons. 'We were so lulled into being dependent upon the Americans, we have not done enough to address how we as a country can remain independent with different trading partners,' he said. 'We have been putting it off and kicking it down the road for such a long time,' said Parsons, who has a doctorate in engineering and teaches at the Asper School of Business. Manitoba needs a U.S. trade rep to be strategic and in place for the long haul to know 'the devil of the details of everything going on, so that we know how to appropriately react.' It shouldn't be a political patronage appointment, Parsons said. Wednesdays A weekly dispatch from the head of the Free Press newsroom. The trade rep should be someone with business experience, 'who understands trade and the implications of that trade to companies in our province — a senior person who's had broad-based involvement with industries across and within Manitoba,' he said. Remillard, who was part of a provincial trade delegation to the U.S. capital last year, said Manitoba needs to be there so it's not left behind as other provinces forge connections on Capitol Hill, and 'connect with and help shape the Canadian voice that our ambassador and her team are bringing to their meetings in Washington.' Other provinces with a presence in D.C. 'have the ear' of Canada's ambassador on a regular basis, he said. '(She) is very aware of what's going on in Quebec, Ontario, B.C., Alberta, Saskatchewan, because those provinces make it a point of keeping the ambassador apprised of very specific issues and opportunities in their jurisdictions,' Remillard said. 'That's the opportunity we're losing without a representative in Washington and one that we're correcting by having this person.' Carol SandersLegislature reporter Carol Sanders is a reporter at the Free Press legislature bureau. The former general assignment reporter and copy editor joined the paper in 1997. Read more about Carol. Every piece of reporting Carol produces is reviewed by an editing team before it is posted online or published in print — part of the Free Press's tradition, since 1872, of producing reliable independent journalism. Read more about Free Press's history and mandate, and learn how our newsroom operates. Our newsroom depends on a growing audience of readers to power our journalism. If you are not a paid reader, please consider becoming a subscriber. Our newsroom depends on its audience of readers to power our journalism. Thank you for your support.
Winnipeg Free Press
12-06-2025
- Business
- Winnipeg Free Press
Doer honoured for role in creating inland port
A FORMER Manitoba premier was celebrated Wednesday for his role in the creation of one of North America's biggest trimodal inland ports. CentrePort Canada Inc. presented Gary Doer with the first CentrePort Canada Footprint Award at its annual spring mixer in Winnipeg. The award recognizes an individual who has contributed to the success of CentrePort Canada and its mission to grow Manitoba's role in global trade and logistics. BROOK JONES / FREE PRESS Former premier Gary Doer holds his CentrePort Canada Footprint Award, which recognizes an individual who has contributed to the success of CentrePort Canada and its mission to grow Manitoba's role in global trade and logistics. 'I'm really proud to receive it,' Doer told the Free Press prior to the event. 'I really appreciate the work and progress they've made over the years.' Doer served as premier from 1999 to 2009. During a business trip to Texas, he noticed a transportation hub between Dallas and Fort Worth. 'It led to my thinking that Winnipeg and Manitoba should look at something like that because we already had five of the major trucking companies located in Winnipeg, we had three railways in Winnipeg… and we have a 24-hour airport, which of course is really positive not only for passengers but cargo,' Doer recalled. Leaders in Manitoba's business community were talking about the possibilities, too. During his decade in government, Doer introduced the legislation that led to CentrePort's creation. Today, CentrePort covers 20,000 acres between northwest Winnipeg and the Rural Municipality of Rosser. It connects to major national and international trade gateways and corridors, and is the only inland port in Canada with direct access to truck, rail and air cargo operations. Doer served as Canada's ambassador to the United States from 2009 to 2016. During that time, he said, he read media reports about CentrePort's development with great interest. He continues to follow the latest developments today. 'It's always interesting for me to see another company showing their absolute belief in CentrePort by investing in developments in that hub,' he said. 'There's been a real pride for all of us involved.' As the premier that championed the creation of the transportation hub and invested in early infrastructure, Doer was the perfect choice to be the recipient of the inaugural Footprint Award, said CentrePort Canada president and CEO Carly Edmundson. 'Gary's vision for this really has played out the way it's always been intended and we wanted to recognize that,' Edmundson said. Monday Mornings The latest local business news and a lookahead to the coming week. More than $800 million in construction permits have been issued for more than three million square feet of new buildings since CentrePort Canada was established a little more than 15 years ago. At full build, Edmundson said, the inland port will boost Manitoba's gross domestic product by nearly $8 billion. At a time of supply chain instability and global trade uncertainty, CentrePort is ready to meet the moment, she added. 'Certainly those are challenges but growing our position as a trade and transportation hub is what we've been doing for the last 15 years at CentrePort and we have the infrastructure and the service providers and the team that's ready to continue to jump on that opportunity,' Edmundson said. 'I think that we're a source of optimism during a challenging time because this is what we were built for.' Aaron EppReporter Aaron Epp reports on business for the Free Press. After freelancing for the paper for a decade, he joined the staff full-time in 2024. He was previously the associate editor at Canadian Mennonite. Read more about Aaron. Our newsroom depends on a growing audience of readers to power our journalism. If you are not a paid reader, please consider becoming a subscriber. Our newsroom depends on its audience of readers to power our journalism. Thank you for your support.
Daily Mail
02-06-2025
- General
- Daily Mail
The unusual gift Prince Edward received from a Canadian leader - and why the Queen called the country her 'second home'
What do you give the person who has it all? This was the question Canadian Premier Gary Doer was faced with when Prince Edward came to visit. As a Commonwealth realm, Canada has a strong relationship with the British Monarchy. The prince met families of Canadian military serving in Afghanistan as part of a three-day visit to Winnipeg in Manitoba, Canada, as part of a royal tour in June 2008. His visit included meeting with the Premier, military families and presenting awards at the Children's Hospital. The usual gift for such occasions is a soapstone carving which tell stories, preserve cultural traditions and represent important beliefs and values. Famously the Queen was given a gift of five trumpeter swans for her coronation in 1952. But Manitoba's Premier had a gift in mind that would hark back to centuries-old tradition and honour the prince's two young children. The Premier presented the prince with a pair of framed notices naming two lakes in the central Canadian province after his children. Edward had recently welcomed his second child, James – now the Earl of Wessex. Lady Louise was four years old at the time and the children grew up largely out of the spotlight. The gift followed a centuries-old tradition of naming cities and landmarks after royalty. And Manitoba has lakes named after the Queen's six other grandchildren. Also in the province are Lakes Prince William, Prince Henry, Princess Beatrice, Princess Eugenie, Peter Phillips and Zara Phillips. Edward was given this gift in honour of his visit to Churchill in northern Manitoba in 1990 For a long time, members of the Royal Family named places in Canada after themselves. Queen Victoria has more namesakes in Canada than any other royal – even though she never visited. And there is another Lake Louise in Canada which was named after Princess Louise Caroline Alberta, Queen Victoria's fourth daughter. She became the first princess to cross the Atlantic Ocean and the province of Alberta is also named for Princess Louise. In 1878, her husband, John Campbell, Lord Lorne, became governor general of Canada and they moved to Ottawa. The couple played a key role in the creation of the Royal Canadian Academy of Arts and the National Gallery of Canada and took part in the first royal tour of British Columbia. The princess wrote in 1924: 'I am intensely proud of this beautiful and wonderful Province being called after me, and that my husband should have thought of it.' In June 2008, also among the 300 guests keen to catch a glimpse of Edward were two young children from military families who presented the prince with cuddly polar bears for his own children. The Vancouver Sun wrote at the time: 'Recognising that two children – even royal ones – wouldn't have much use for a piece of parchment, Doer also called upon two children of Manitoba soldiers to present the prince with two plush polar bears in honour of his visit to Churchill in northern Manitoba in 1990.' Edward reportedly said he hoped one day his children would get to see a real polar bear in the wilds of northern Manitoba, as he himself had in the past. The prince's mother, the late Queen, loved Canada and often called it her 'second home'. The Queen made 22 official visits to Canada in her 70-year-reign, and one as Princess Elizabeth – more than any other country outside the UK. On her death, Canadian prime minister Justin Trudeau said: 'The Queen had a deep and abiding love and affection for Canadians. 'She was our queen for almost half of Canada's existence and was one of my favorite people in the world.' Perhaps because of this, Edward turned to his mother, who was honorary commissioner of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP), when it came to picking a gift when he returned to the country the following year. In 2009 he gifted a 16-month-old yellow Labrador called Suzanna to the RCMP, of which the Queen was Commissioner-in-Chief, during a ceremony in Alberta. He said that the Queen picked Suzanna's name in honour of the 1936 novel by Canadian author Muriel Denison. There is a longstanding relationship between the Royal Family and the RCMP. The force gifted eight horses to the Queen since 1969, including four that are still alive today. Her first horse given, presented in 1969, was a black mare named Burmese. Burmese was reportedly her favourite horse, and she rode her at Trooping the Colour for 18 consecutive years, from 1969 to 1986. The four surviving horses – George, Elizabeth, Derby and Sir John, led her funeral procession. But after training as a bomb-sniffing dog, Suzanna retired in 2013 after it became apparent her 'docile temperament' was not a fit for police work. The prince returned to Manitoba with his wife Sophie, now Duchess of Edinburgh, in June 2016 to award the Duke of Edinburgh's International certificates. This was Edward's 38th visit to Canada and Sophie's first visit to Manitoba. As their daughter Lady Louise approaches her final year at university, it is expected she will step into the spotlight. The young royal shares many similar traits with her grandmother, the late Queen, from her love for animals to her appearance. She may also share Elizabeth's love for Canada and we may see a Royal Visit to her namesake lake in the future.
