Manitoba is getting its own trade office in the U.S. capitol in 2025.
During his state of the province address Dec. 3, Premier Wab Kinew said that the trade office in Washington D.C. would go online in the New Year and would offer Manitoba a permanent foothold through which to enhance trade relations.
“Manitoba has what America needs and a trade office in the heart of the capital will strengthen trade ties and protect Manitoba jobs as we work with the incoming Trump administration,” said Kinew.
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U.S.-Canada trade is key for the ag sector, both locally and nationwide. Last year, 48.2 per cent of Manitoba’s agriculture and agri-food exports went to the U.S., making it by far the province’s largest trade destination. China, in contrast, was the province’s second-largest customer for agricultural products at only 16.89 per cent.
U.S.-Manitoba agri-food trade has also grown. According to a fact sheet published by Manitoba Agriculture, provincial agri-food exports to the U.S. jumped about 6.5 per cent a year during the decade from 2013-2023.
A second Trump era
The November election victory of U.S. President-elect Donald Trump, meanwhile, has sparked concern in export-reliant sectors, agriculture included.
Most recently, the incoming U.S. president threatened a 25 per cent tariff on both Canadian and Mexican products come January, when he is sworn in. Trump said the tariff would be imposed via executive order on his first day in office unless Canada and Mexico took stronger border action against the movement of illegal drugs and migrants into the U.S.
Kinew said the new office would provide a direct line to the U.S. government and would be “part of how we speak to the incoming Trump administration in their language.
“We’re focused on boosting productivity, attracting investment and job creation.”
Economic development
The office is part of the province’s wider economic development plan, the premier added.
According to a Dec. 3 release, the idea of a dedicated Washington trade office came from the Premier’s Business and Jobs Council, which includes input from business and labour leaders. The council’s sub-committee on U.S. trade was part of a trade mission to the U.S. earlier in 2024.
