Manitoba has reserved $1 million annually for its U.S. trade office, which is $200,000 more than what was initially disclosed by the previous NDP government, as per documents obtained by CBC News. The province has earmarked $1 million Canadian dollars to cover expenses such as salaries, office space, and other operational costs for Washington, D.C., trade envoy Richard Madan and his assistant. This information was outlined in an advisory note prepared for Premier Wab Kinew in August 2025 and government email exchanges in January 2026.
The previous NDP government had consistently referenced a $800,000 total annual budget for the Washington trade office. This figure was communicated to the media in a press release back in June 2025 when Madan was appointed as Manitoba’s trade envoy and reiterated to CBC News in December 2025. However, Amy Tuckett-McGimpsey, Kinew’s communications director, now indicates that the NDP government estimates the U.S. trade office’s cost at “$800,000 to $900,000” for the fiscal year 2026-27.
Despite repeated requests from CBC News over the past two weeks to interview Kinew, Finance Minister Adrien Sala, or Trade Minister Jamie Moses regarding the provincial spending on the U.S. trade office, the NDP government has declined to make these officials available.
Initial statements by the Kinew government have proven to be incomplete or inaccurate. In October 2025, it was announced that Madan would receive a $387,000 salary for his role as Manitoba’s trade representative in Washington. However, a signed contract obtained in February through a freedom of information request revealed that Madan actually receives $482,000 in annual consulting fees and is eligible for an additional $51,000 per year for hospitality, diplomacy, and out-of-pocket expenses.
Government email correspondence from January 2026, obtained by CBC News, indicates that the province is also allocating $143,000 for an administrative assistant for Madan in Washington, D.C. Additionally, $221,000 is being spent on rent for the trade envoy and his assistant at the Canadian embassy in the U.S.
Progressive Conservative Leader Obby Khan expressed concern about the fragmented nature of the financial disclosures related to the U.S. trade office, emphasizing the need for transparency and clarity in budget allocations. The absence of a specific line item in Manitoba’s budget documents detailing the budget for the U.S. trade office has raised questions about the government’s financial reporting practices.
Rebecca Widdicombe, Kinew’s deputy chief of staff, explained that the spending on the office is encompassed within a $27.6-million allocation for “grant assistance” in the “economic programs” budget for Manitoba’s investments and trade expenditures. However, the decision to include the U.S. trade office budget under a grant assistance line item remains unexplained.
Duff Conacher, co-founder of Democracy Watch, criticized the lack of transparency from Manitoba’s NDP government, stressing the importance of providing detailed information to the public for accountability. He highlighted the public’s right to be informed about government program costs to assess the value of their tax contributions.
The NDP government has not disclosed its previous expenditures on the U.S. trade office, citing the pending release of financial statements for the 2025-26 fiscal year by the end of September. Despite multiple requests from CBC News for information on the office’s budget breakdown, the government has refused to provide specific details, citing concerns about cabinet confidentiality and potential harm to intergovernmental relations.
Democracy Watch’s Conacher criticized the government’s secrecy surrounding the U.S. trade office spending, describing it as undemocratic and obstructing public accountability. Madan declined to comment on the matter, directing inquiries to NDP cabinet communications officers.