Manitoba creates council to advise on trade as U.S. tariff threats loom

Manitoba is making preparations in case the United States decides to levy tariffs on incoming Canadian products as early as next month.

The province announced a 16-person U.S. Trade Council, which includes representation from a range of industries and sectors, on Friday.

Manitoba will also be setting up a hotline and website to answer questions from Manitobans about trade with the U.S., Premier Wab Kinew said. The hotline and website are expected to go live Monday.

They're being launched before any possible tariffs are imposed to give Manitoba another tool and resource for people to be able to turn to, Kinew said.

The council's creation comes in the wake of U.S. President Donald Trump threatening to slap 25 per cent tariffs on goods arriving from Canada and Mexico.

Members of business, labour and agricultural groups are part of the council, which is highlighted by the presence of the president of the Canadian Labour Congress, the president of the Manitoba Federation of Labour, and the chief executive officers of Price Industries and the NFI Group.

Kinew said the main purpose of the council is to ensure it's collectively listening to concerns Manitobans might have about prospective tariffs and potential solutions for combating them.

"The message that we heard from this council … is that we really have to preserve access to the U.S. So of course, we want to continue to strengthen the relationship with the U.S. and we want to continue to be able to export the stuff that we make [and grow] here in Manitoba," the premier told reporters following an unrelated event at Canada Life Centre in downtown Winnipeg.

He called it a time with "a lot of uncertainty for business," but stressed the importance of spending money to support the provincial economy.

"There's a lot of great businesses here locally that we can support right now," Kinew said.

Kinew would not reveal the NDP government's estimates of the tariffs' economic impact, but says it would have a big effect on the next provincial budget, expected in March or April.

With so much uncertainty, the premier said his government is preparing two budgets — one with the status quo on trade with the U.S., and the other as a contingency in case of tariffs and an economic slowdown. 

"We want to keep trade strong with the U.S. because if we do face that tariff threat, it's going to be a challenging time for our economy," Kinew said. "But no matter what happens, we'll be there to protect your jobs and to protect, you know, the province of Manitoba."

He will be joining other Canadian premiers in Washington, D.C., on Feb. 12 as they make their pitch to U.S. administration and members of Congress.