Late-July perfect timing for fireside chat with U.S. ambassador, Winnipeg Chamber of Commerce president says

The Winnipeg Chamber of Commerce is hosting an event with U.S. Ambassador to Canada Pete Hoekstra next month.

Hoekstra will be joining chamber president and CEO Loren Remillard for a “fireside chat” on July 29.

“This is an important event,” Remillard said Tuesday. “Based on what some of the communication out of the G7 has been, the timing of this event could not have been better.”

On Monday at the summit of world leaders in Kananaskis, Alta., Prime Minister Mark Carney’s office said U.S. President Donald Trump agreed to have a deal on a new economic and security relationship between Canada and the U.S. by mid-July.

Canada’s formal summary of the meeting said the leaders agreed to pursue negotiations toward a deal within 30 days.

At the summit, the president — who was wearing a lapel pin with the Canadian and American flags — said he thinks a deal with Canada is achievable.

The U.S. ambassador’s visit to Winnipeg is “a powerful opportunity for us to convey the Manitoba message and the Manitoba opportunity that we bring to the table for our U.S. partners,” Remillard said.

He pointed to Carney’s announced goal of Canada meeting the NATO target of spending two per cent of GDP on defence this year.

“That’s a huge opportunity for Manitoba,” Remillard said. “We’re the third-largest aerospace centre in the country…. That security relationship — be it with the United States, but just globally — that is a true opportunity for Manitoba, one we’re well positioned for already, and real growth opportunity for us.

“(Premier Wab Kinew) has already noted our critical minerals, our energy, Manitoba Hydro — these are all elements the Americans are in need of as it relates to their domestic needs, but also specifically around their military procurement. Canada is the solution to many questions that Americans have dealt with, are dealing with and will continue to deal with. That’s what’s made the relationship so strong.”

The event, to take place at the Winnipeg Art Gallery from 12:30-2:30 July 29, is titled Canada-U.S. Leadership in a Shifting Global Order, and will “examine the evolving trade landscape, shared security priorities and the global economic forces reshaping our cross-border relationship,” the chamber said in a release Tuesday.

Hoekstra chaired the Michigan Republican party during the 2024 elections in the U.S. He’s president of Hoekstra Global Strategies in Holland, Mich., and a board member of the Council for a Secure America. He served as ambassador to the Netherlands during the first Trump administration.

Remillard said he will be asking questions of Hoekstra based on what the chamber is hearing from its members.

“We speak to our members on a regular basis, and my questions will be informed by those dialogues and discussions.”

— With files from Canadian Press

carol.sanders@freepress.mb.ca