Manitoba trade rep says U.S. tariff uncertainty the key challenge for businesses

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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 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 Soubry, former CEO of New Flyer Industries, also attended.

Madan said the group talked about 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 is 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 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.”

Companies, including bus manufacturer NFI Group, have been working to adapt to the tariffs and to pass on some costs, but there have been challenges.

“The impact has been noisy and messy, but not disastrous,” said Soubry, who’s now an adviser to the company after stepping down as CEO at the start of the year.

He said NFI Group hasn’t been held back from expanding in Canada because of the tariffs, but a combination of older buy-American rules and the tariffs mean they’ve had to build up their footprint in the U.S.

“As a Manitoban, it’s kind of a frustrating story,” Soubry said. “A Manitoba business that now has more people employed in the U.S. than we do in Canada.”

He said the meetings in Washington were productive in making sure U.S. officials understand what Manitoba’s all about.

They were also useful for provincial business leaders like himself to hear firsthand how the U.S. is going to approach trade talks.

“You know, boy, the Americans are going to be tough.”

This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 3, 2026.

Ian Bickis, The Canadian Press