‘Stakes so fricking high’: Manitoba’s U.S. trade representative

Manitoba’s U.S. trade representative made a case for his Washington position and compensation package of more than $500,000 during a trip to Winnipeg Thursday.

“The stakes are so fricking high right now,” Richard Madan said. “It’s really important that Manitoba succeed.”

Madan spoke to reporters after addressing a crowd at Manitoba Pork’s annual general meeting. The sector exports 90 per cent of its pigs to the United States.

Madan told the crowd he’s been in communication with one of Iowa’s two senators — Iowa buys the bulk of Manitoba pigs — and with bureaucrats from other states, including Missouri.

He’s emphasizing Manitoba agriculture, aerospace and Arctic offerings — topics that would get lost without a provincial representative on Capitol Hill, he said.

The provincial government originally disclosed Madan’s salary at $387,000.

However, his total compensation comes to at least $529,000 when factoring in consulting fees and expenses, CBC found through a freedom of information request.

The compensation exceeds Premier Wab Kinew’s and Prime Minister Mark Carney’s 2025 salaries.

“I’m all about transparency,” Madan said. “I don’t know what happened with the (communications) rollout.”

He pointed to the salaries of Ontario’s and Alberta’s U.S. trade representatives. David Paterson, Ontario’s representative, earns at least $350,000 annually, a government website shows. It’s unclear whether the pay includes consulting and other fees.

Madan said he believes his contract was modelled after those in other provinces. Those offices also have more staff, he noted.

He signed a three-year deal, and said he’ll likely return to reporting — his former profession — once the contract ends, calling his current job an “honour.”

“It’s really important that Manitoba succeed.”

He worked as a television journalist for two decades at CBC, Citytv and CTV News. Much of his time was spent in Washington as a foreign correspondent.

He covered U.S. President Donald Trump’s first term and the beginning of his current administration, along with former president Joe Biden’s four years in the Oval Office.

“Ten years in D.C., you know how the place works, you know how to talk to these people,” Madan said. “A lot of the political people kind of remain, whether you’re in power or you’re not.”

He began his government position with contacts and an understanding of Make America Great Again supporters’ perspective, he added.

The Manitoba government announced its U.S. trade office in 2024. Madan now has a place in the Canadian embassy.

“When (the government) approached me about leading this role, I thought, ‘This is an important time,’” Madan said.

He’d covered Trump’s so-called “Liberation Day” — April 2, 2025, when Trump announced broad tariffs on a swath of countries.

“I realized, this is a really critical time for provinces to be heard,” Madan said. “There’s a lane that needs to be filled to talk about agriculture, to talk about heavy manufacturing supply chains.”

He’s met with three or four dozen members of Congress, he said. The American politicians generally want to keep things “behind closed doors” because of the upcoming midterm elections.

Some professed they didn’t want to seem like they’re cosying up to Canadians, Madan said.

“Ten years in D.C., you know how the place works, you know how to talk to these people.”

Still, he’s noticed more openness to discussions, compared to a “very transactional and sometimes confrontational” fall 2025, he said.

“When you’re in this role, so much of this is planning, where it takes a long time to get things done,” Madan said. “There’s no straight line for an immediate outcome, because there are geopolitics, there’s domestic politics and there’s things that just kind of create hurdles.”

Manitoba’s Progressive Conservative party has requested justification of Madan’s salary, calling for proof of trade deals.

Opposition Leader Obby Khan said “nothing has come” because of Madan after learning of his full compensation last month.

Provinces don’t set trade deals, Madan said, noting Ottawa still hasn’t signed one.

Canada–United States–Mexico Agreement negotiations will likely push beyond the initial July 1 deadline, the trade representative for the United States said earlier this week.

There’s a chance Canada could sign a bilateral agreement with the United States or a series of concessions instead of a renewed CUSMA, Madan said.

Promoting Canada should be easier after the midterm elections in November, Madan said.

He encouraged Thursday meeting attendees to highlight how Manitoba can help Americans in their conversations with U.S. partners.

Uncertainty continues to hover over producers’ heads ahead of a changed CUSMA, said Cam Dahl, Manitoba Pork’s general manager.

“There’s no straight line for an immediate outcome, because there are geopolitics, there’s domestic politics and there’s things that just kind of create hurdles.”

Dahl called Madan’s position “really important.”

“We are so export-based, and the U.S. is such an important circuit for us,” he said. “There are gaps on where other provinces, or the federal government, might not be focused on agriculture.

“We need to have our voice there.”

Manitoba’s pork industry added $2.3 billion to the provincial GDP in 2025, meeting attendees learned.

Canada continues to be slammed with tariffs on exports of steel, aluminum, autos, softwood lumber and non-CUSMA compliant energy products. Those sectors could consume a lot of focus in trade negotiations between Canada and the U.S., Madan said.

gabrielle.piche@winnipegfreepress.com