Advertisement

Learn more about Free Press Advertising solutions

Beyond the Wall

Premier Wab Kinew speaks to the media in Emerson on Tuesday while federal Public Safety Minister David McGuinty listens. McGuinty, Kinew, federal Sport Minister Terry Duguid, minister responsible for Prairies Economic Development Canada and Winnipeg South Centre Liberal MP Ben Carr met with law enforcement officers from the Canadian Border Services Agency, RCMP, Manitoba Conservation and Manitoba First Nations Police Service to talk about border security measures. (Mike Deal/Winnipeg Free Press)

Governments flex border muscle in Emerson

By Scott Billeck 6 minute read Wednesday, Feb. 5, 2025

EMERSON — Federal Public Safety Minister David McGuinty and Premier Wab Kinew used the Canada-U.S. border as a backdrop Tuesday to tout the creation of a “fentanyl czar,” who will work with the U.S. to curb drug trafficking.

The two leaders were in Emerson to sell the new position as a way to boost border safety, one day after U.S. President Donald Trump postponed 25 per cent tariffs on Canadian goods, for at least a month.

“The interpretation of today is Canadians should know we have a very strong border, and we’re making it stronger,” McGuinty said.

“Canadians should know we’re co-operating between different orders of government. Canadians should know that their efforts to stand up for Canada are not in vain.”

Advertisement

Advertise With Us

Weather

Oct. 10, 6 AM: 6°c Clear Oct. 10, 12 PM: 13°c Sunny

Brandon MB

2°C, Clear

Full Forecast

Manitoba mulls ‘terrible’ contract with U.S. firm

By Maggie Macintosh Local Journalism Initiative 5 minute read Wednesday, Feb. 5, 2025

WINNIPEG — The threat of a trade war with Canada’s closest ally has the Manitoba government eyeing procurement processes and U.S. contracts — one of which runs online park pass purchases and is set to expire this spring.

“We have a terrible contract signed by the PCs with a Texas-based company,” Premier Wab Kinew told reporters on Monday, minutes before it was announced that United States President Donald Trump was delaying the introduction of 25 per cent tariffs on Canadian goods by 30 days.

“It doesn’t make any sense, whatsoever. Shouldn’t we be paying a Manitoba company to enjoy Manitoba?”

The provincial government awarded three contracts to U.S. companies that do not operate Winnipeg offices in December, per a Winnipeg Free Press analysis of the latest available monthly disclosure report.

Kinew looks to ensure economy ‘Trump-proof’

By Maggie Macintosh Local Journalism Initiative 5 minute read Preview

Kinew looks to ensure economy ‘Trump-proof’

By Maggie Macintosh Local Journalism Initiative 5 minute read Tuesday, Feb. 4, 2025

WINNIPEG — The Kinew government is postponing retaliatory measures against U.S. tariffs after U.S. President Donald Trump announced a 30-day delay in slapping extra fees on made-in-Canada products.

Premier Wab Kinew has temporarily retracted plans to pull American products from Manitoba Liquor Mart shelves and stop allowing firms located south of the border to bid on government contracts.

The former — a tactic also announced in Ontario, B.C. and Nova Scotia — was set to take effect today, the day Trump originally said 25 per cent tariffs on goods would be implemented.

Following two phone calls with the president on Monday, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau confirmed Canada is being given at least one buffer month, owing to promises to improve security along the shared border. Mexico has received the same extension.

Read
Tuesday, Feb. 4, 2025

Premier Wab Kinew meets with members of the Manitoba’s U.S. Trade Council on Monday morning. Newly elected Assembly of Manitoba Chiefs Grand Chief Kyra Wilson (left) is among the council members. (Mike Deal/Winnipeg Free Press)
Premier Wab Kinew meets with members of the Manitoba’s U.S. Trade Council on Monday morning. Newly elected Assembly of Manitoba Chiefs Grand Chief Kyra Wilson (left) is among the council members. (Mike Deal/Winnipeg Free Press)

U.S. tariffs paused for 30 days

By Sarah Ritchie 5 minute read Preview

U.S. tariffs paused for 30 days

By Sarah Ritchie 5 minute read Tuesday, Feb. 4, 2025

OTTAWA — U.S. President Donald Trump agreed Monday not to impose tariffs on Canada and Mexico for another month, pulling back from a plan that would have tipped North America into a trade war today.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau spoke with Trump twice on Monday, their first discussions since the president took over the White House on Jan. 20. After what Trudeau described on social media as a “good call” in the afternoon, the two leaders agreed to pause tariffs for at least 30 days.

Trudeau released a statement on X that outlined the broad strokes of the $1.3-billion border plan his government had announced in December, adding that “nearly 10,000 front-line personnel are and will be working to protect the border.”

That mirrors the number of troops Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum pledged to send to the U.S. border on Monday morning when she announced that she had secured a deal with Trump to delay the tariffs on her country by one month.

Read
Tuesday, Feb. 4, 2025

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau addresses media in Ottawa on Saturday following the imposition of a raft of tariffs by U.S. President Donald Trump against Canada, Mexico and China. Trump agreed Monday not to impose tariffs on Canada and Mexico for another month, pulling back from a plan that would have tipped North America into a trade war today. (The Canadian Press files)
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau addresses media in Ottawa on Saturday following the imposition of a raft of tariffs by U.S. President Donald Trump against Canada, Mexico and China. Trump agreed Monday not to impose tariffs on Canada and Mexico for another month, pulling back from a plan that would have tipped North America into a trade war today. (The Canadian Press files)

Threat of ban on U.S. booze called ‘eye-opener’

By Chris Kitching 6 minute read Preview

Threat of ban on U.S. booze called ‘eye-opener’

By Chris Kitching 6 minute read Tuesday, Feb. 4, 2025

WINNIPEG — Henry Schroeder occasionally grabs a case of American beer or a bottle of wine or bourbon from south of the border when he makes a trip to his local Liquor Mart.

He’d have no problem foregoing those brands for Canadian options if a potential trade war between the U.S. and Canada leads to American-made liquor being pulled from shelves in Manitoba.

“I don’t think we should be bullied, and I think we should stand up to being bullied,” Schroeder said outside a Liquor Mart at Portage Avenue and Ainslie Street on Monday, when the Manitoba government was on the verge of halting its sales and imports of U.S. booze.

Following the lead of other provinces, Premier Wab Kinew on Sunday directed Manitoba Liquor and Lotteries, a Crown corporation, to pull U.S.-made alcohol from Liquor Marts, starting today, and halt new orders in response to U.S. President Donald Trump’s proposed 25 per cent tariffs on many Canadian goods.

Read
Tuesday, Feb. 4, 2025

On Monday, Liquor Marts were displaying signs on front doors and shelves stating: “We are no longer selling liquor from the USA. Ask us about some great local and Canadian alternatives. (Ruth Bonneville/Winnipeg Free Press)
On Monday, Liquor Marts were displaying signs on front doors and shelves stating: “We are no longer selling liquor from the USA. Ask us about some great local and Canadian alternatives. (Ruth Bonneville/Winnipeg Free Press)

‘Shop local’ rallying cry gains momentum

By Gabrielle Piché 7 minute read Preview

‘Shop local’ rallying cry gains momentum

By Gabrielle Piché 7 minute read Saturday, Feb. 1, 2025

Bonnie Palmer has started to check labels.

Cheese, chips, side dishes — is there a maple leaf somewhere? A line saying “Made in Canada” or, more locally, Manitoba?

Canadian-made goods, to Palmer, are now a better purchase than any American alternative.

“Sometimes it’s a little bit more expensive, but I think (we) need to do things like that in order to protest,” Palmer said during a recent Real Canadian Superstore run in Winnipeg.

Read
Saturday, Feb. 1, 2025

Manitoba Made tags placed throughout the Food Fare store on Maryland Avenue in Winnipeg encourage people to shop locally. (Mikaela MacKenzie/Winnipeg Free Press)
Manitoba Made tags placed throughout the Food Fare store on Maryland Avenue in Winnipeg encourage people to shop locally. (Mikaela MacKenzie/Winnipeg Free Press)

Manitoba businesses expedite freight movement

By Abiola Odutola 5 minute read Preview

Manitoba businesses expedite freight movement

By Abiola Odutola 5 minute read Saturday, Feb. 1, 2025

With the United States implementing a 25 per cent tariff on Canadian goods today, some companies in Manitoba have expedited their freight movements in anticipation of the disruption, Manitoba Trucking Association (MTA) executive director Aaron Dolyniuk told the Sun.

“The companies have freight movements in anticipation of the tariff to mitigate immediate challenges,” Dolyniuk said.

The tariff implementation, part of U.S. President Donald Trump’s America First Trade Policy (AFTP), follows a White House announcement on Friday reaffirming that the Feb. 1 deadline remains in effect. White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt stated that Trump is moving forward with imposing tariffs on Canada, Mexico and China due to concerns about illicit fentanyl entering the United States.

“The president will be implementing tomorrow a 25 per cent tariff on Mexico, 25 per cent tariff on Canada and a 10 per cent tariff on China,” Leavitt said.

Read
Saturday, Feb. 1, 2025

A freight truck from Saskatchewan climbs the slope along Highway 10 near the Brandon Hills, south of Brandon on Friday afternoon. Some companies in Manitoba have expedited their freight movements, ahead of today’s tariff implementation by the U.S. and to ward off any immediate trade disruptions. (Matt Goerzen/The Brandon Sun)
A freight truck from Saskatchewan climbs the slope along Highway 10 near the Brandon Hills, south of Brandon on Friday afternoon. Some companies in Manitoba have expedited their freight movements, ahead of today’s tariff implementation by the U.S. and to ward off any immediate trade disruptions. (Matt Goerzen/The Brandon Sun)

Tariff tremors ripple across the family farm

By Julia-Simone Rutgers 11 minute read Preview

Tariff tremors ripple across the family farm

By Julia-Simone Rutgers 11 minute read Saturday, Feb. 1, 2025

The crops have been harvested, the soil tilled. The fields are blanketed in snow. Normally, this is a farmer’s quiet season. But this year, on either side of the Canada-U.S. border, there’s a chill of unpredictability hanging in the winter air.

“My stomach starts to turn just a little bit,” Minnesota farmer Harmon Wilts said in a late January interview. “As a farmer, we can control the things we can control … but when it comes to something like tariffs — that is totally out of our control and very frustrating.”

Since November, U.S. President Donald Trump has threatened to impose broad 25 per cent tariffs on Canadian goods. He has repeatedly claimed the country has no need for Canada’s exports — cars, lumber, oil and food products in particular — because America makes “the same products on the other side of the border.”

Canadian leaders have promised retaliatory measures ranging from export taxes on major commodities like energy to dollar-for-dollar tariffs meant to squeeze vulnerable sectors of the American economy. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau maintains “nothing is off the table.”

Read
Saturday, Feb. 1, 2025

Colin Penner, a grain farmer southwest of Winnipeg, has had to think about the impact of possible tariffs and work on the diversity of his crops. (Mike Deal/Winnipeg Free Press)
Colin Penner, a grain farmer southwest of Winnipeg, has had to think about the impact of possible tariffs and work on the diversity of his crops. (Mike Deal/Winnipeg Free Press)

6 migrants caught trying to sneak into Manitoba

By Scott Billeck 7 minute read Preview

6 migrants caught trying to sneak into Manitoba

By Scott Billeck 7 minute read Thursday, Jan. 23, 2025

WINNIPEG — Six people were apprehended as they tried to sneak into Manitoba from the U.S. last week, amid tightened security at the border in the face of threats by U.S. President Donald Trump to clamp down on illegal migrants and drugs.

An aircraft equipped with thermal imaging technology guided officers on the ground to find the six people who were travelling in frigid temperatures in the dark on Jan. 14, RCMP said Wednesday.

“They were from multiple countries of origin,” said RCMP Assistant Commissioner Lisa Moreland, who said the investigation is ongoing.

Moreland said the aircraft’s ability to respond quickly was instrumental in ensuring the migrants weren’t harmed by the freezing temperatures, which dipped below -20 C.

Read
Thursday, Jan. 23, 2025

The RCMP Federal Policing Northwest Region has increased security by adding regular Black Hawk helicopter flights along the Manitoba border with the United States. The first of these regular flights began on Sunday. (RCMP)
The RCMP Federal Policing Northwest Region has increased security by adding regular Black Hawk helicopter flights along the Manitoba border with the United States. The first of these regular flights began on Sunday. (RCMP)

LOAD MORE