PCs knock Manitoba NDP for considering out-of-province candidates to lead Washington trade office

Manitoba's Progressive Conservative Party says the NDP provincial government shouldn't be looking beyond its borders to staff a new trade office in Washington, D.C.

The Official Opposition took issue with Premier Wab Kinew suggesting his government would also consider candidates who reside outside Manitoba.

Interim PC leader Wayne Ewasko told question period Wednesday the government should have no shortage of candidates from a province of 1.5 million people, "brimming with talent" and "full of world-class entrepreneurs."

"What message does this send to American politicians and business leaders when they are introduced to Manitoba's trade representative, who doesn't know the difference between Portage la Prairie and Portage and Main?"

Kinew brushed aside the Tories' arguments, referring to them as "complete hypocrites" since it was their former government who "closed the D.C. office."

"Now they're coming here to try and criticize the fact that we have an effective policy, that we've been planning to work with the Trump administration for many months now," Kinew said.

Part-time presence in D.C.

In fact, Manitoba never had a full-time office presence in the U.S. capital, but rather employed an individual working part-time, in addition to "targeted engagements" with advocacy firms based in Washington.

"These engagements provided advocacy support for Manitoba interests and advice on engagement with U.S. stakeholders," a provincial spokesperson said.

This support ended in 2016, the spokesperson said — the year the former PC government was elected into office. 

Manitoba's government also previously had representatives working part-time on fee-for-service contracts in Brazil, China, Europe, India and Mexico. The province didn't say when those working relationships ended.

The government spokesperson didn't answer if these international representatives were supported by staff working in Manitoba.

The province's new trade office in Washington, D.C., announced by Kinew at his state-of-the-province address on Tuesday, is designed to strengthen the country's trading relationship with the U.S. at a time when incoming president Donald Trump has threatened to hit Canada with a 25 per cent tariff. 

Kinew said he wants the person leading the trade office to intimately understand Manitoba's economic strategy, represent the province's values and "speak the language" of the Trump administration.

He said some candidates his government has in mind to lead the office are Manitoban, but the province will also look at people already based in Washington. The premier also said the Washington office may include additional staff.

Kinew added the need for a permanent office in America's seat of power became clear after his government's trade mission to D.C. in April.

"We're looking at Saskatchewan, which has a full-time presence, [and to] Ontario and Quebec and Alberta, and we just looked to each other around our team and said, 'These other provinces are going out and singing for their supper and we're just waiting for opportunity to come to see us in Manitoba.' I think we can put a stronger foot forward than that," he said Tuesday.

Ewasko opened question period Wednesday by thanking Kinew for accepting "our Washington office suggestion," which the Tories expressed one day before the premier's announcement, and asked the NDP to consider the PCs other idea of an all-party committee to develop an economic response plan for Manitoba in case the tariffs come into effect.

The government has so far declined that request.