COLUMN: View from the Legislature – Big money but few results

Since the U.S. government began applying tariffs on a number of Canadian sectors, such as autos, steel and aluminum, there has been a significant effort to increase the profile and advocacy of Canada in Washington. The number of trips by Canadian officials and federal politicians to Washington for meetings with their counterparts has increased greatly as efforts continue to find deals that are agreeable to both countries.

While most of the responsibility for trade agreements rests with the federal government, some provinces have had their own dedicated individuals or paid lobbyists to advance their specific interests in the United States. Canada’s largest provinces, like Ontario and Alberta, have specific interests that they have long advocated to the United States directly.

For Manitoba, much of our bilateral relationship building has been at the state level with provincial premiers focusing on building relationships with governors from nearby states like North Dakota and Minnesota. These relationships have paid dividends over the years and provided a pathway to influence in Washington as well.

Last year, Manitoba’s NDP premier announced that Manitoba would open a trade office in Washington to advance the interests of our province to the White House and the Capital. This is a tall order as lawmakers in Washington are the most lobbied in the world and gaining their attention is not an easy task. With that in mind a great deal of attention was being paid to who the Premier would choose to lead this important initiative. There was much speculation that the person appointed would either be someone with deep political experience, not unlike Gary Doer who was appointed the Canadian Ambassador to Washington years ago, or someone from the business community who would command the respect of the Trump administration.

Many were surprised when it was announced that former CBC reporter Richard Madan was named as Manitoba’s new representative in Washington. This surprise was not a reflection on Mr. Madan as an individual. I think most people who have dealt with him on a professional level have found him to be friendly and fair minded. But a reporter was a curious choice to try to gain the attention of a U.S. administration who routinely is dismissive of the media.

The selection again hit the news last week when the NDP government finally revealed, after much delay, that they are paying Mr. Madan $387,000 of taxpayers’ money annually. This figure, which is more than the premier of Manitoba makes and on par with what the prime minister of Canada earns, seemed difficult to justify. Premier Kinew explained in the legislature it was because Mr. Madan “has the look” and is a good storyteller. This did little to ease the concern of taxpayers who are on the hook for this expenditure.

It was also discovered that, months after the announcement, our trade representative had not yet established an office in Washington (efforts were being made to find space in the Canadian Embassy). And when asked for any tangible agreements or commitments that had been secured for Manitoba by the new trade representative, none could be found. Instead, it was explained that there was a great deal of time being spent having coffee with U.S. officials. All for the sum of $387,000.

There are reasons to be concerned about the state of Canada-U.S. relations. The stakes are very high as negotiations continue between our nations. What we don’t need are politicians that are more concerned about perception than action. Manitobans will be watching to see exactly what they are getting for their nearly $400,000 in taxpayers’ money.