Manitoba premier promotes more interprovincial trade, possible energy corridor

Premier of Manitoba Wab Kinew speaks to media prior to the First Minister’s Meeting in Saskatoon on Monday, June 2, 2025. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Liam Richards

WINNIPEG — Manitoba Premier Wab Kinew promoted his province Friday as the route for a future trade corridor, which could include a pipeline, in order to get goods from Western Canada to overseas markets.

"The politics are (that) something needs to get built in Western Canada. I think everybody understands that," Kinew told a breakfast meeting of the Manitoba Chambers of Commerce.

"And if you've been following the news, B. C.? Ontario? Maybe. We'll see. But Manitoba's open for business, and I think in time Manitoba will show itself as a path to getting natural resources to tidewater across Canada."

The Alberta government has been pushing for a pipeline across northern British Columbia, but the idea is not supported by the B.C. government.

Kinew said Manitoba is looking at boosting shipments through Hudson Bay, currently served by the Port of Churchill, which is ice-free for only a brief period every year. There have been calls for a second port on the bay, further south at Port Nelson, combined with more rail service and a pipeline, in order to boost exports to Europe and other destinations.

Kinew said he's open to different options, but the private sector has to put forward ideas.

A trade corridor could ship Manitoba's low-carbon hydroelectricity westward to the other Prairie provinces, he said. And a pipeline heading the other direction is a possibility.

"What is the product that makes sense? Are we going to be looking at liquefaction and then maybe it's a (liquefied natural gas) thing?" Kinew told reporters after his speech.

"Are we looking at oil and gas projects? Are we looking at something novel like green hydrogen or maybe a potash slurry? These are the things that we can signal to the private sector we're open to having a discussion about."

Pipeline development in the north could face opposition from environmentalists and others. Much of the area near the coast of Hudson Bay is protected, including Wapusk National Park.

Kinew also told the business crowd Friday his NDP government is finalizing a memorandum with British Columbia to cut trade barriers between the two provinces.

Similar to a recent deal with Ontario, it's aimed at allowing more goods and services to flow freely. Kinew said it will give Manitobans access to another big Canadian market.

Prime Minister Mark Carney has pledged to break down internal trade barriers by Canada Day, and Ontario, Nova Scotia and other provinces have been working on reciprocal agreements.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 6, 2025

Steve Lambert, The Canadian Press