MBiz

13 WINTER 2024 Jamie Moses: The United States accounts for 75.8 per cent of Manitoba's domestic exports. We continue to leverage our connec- tions in the U.S. to reinforce the importance of Manitoba and Canada as a partner to counter the trend towards protectionism. Trade pro- tectionist actions in the U.S. such as Buy America, voluntary country-of- origin labelling and the Softwood Lumber Agreement continue to be irritants and run contrary to building strong trade relations. Manitoba will continue to focus on reinforcing our relationship with the U.S. and positioning Manitoba as a key economic partner. We also continue to work with key stake- holders in the agriculture and pork industries to continue advocating for the hardworking producers in Manitoba. A recent trade mission to Washington, D.C., sought to strength- en the trade and investment ties with this important market. André Brin: It's something that ev- eryone needs to follow and consider. Protectionism is not only in the U.S.; other markets are also like that. Canada is the fourth largest import- er from the U.S., so they need our business. It's cheaper to get their product and services to us because we're geographically close, and we're close from a cultural standpoint. With the U.S., from a political stand- point, diplomatic channels have to continue being nurtured. From a Manitoba standpoint, we have states that are right along the border, states that know us more and probably need us more. So we need to nurture those relationships. In addition to the border states, we need to consider those U.S. states along the trade corridor and along that railway to Mexico and nurture those relationships. Alexandre Côté: Manitoba main- tains strong trade relations with the U.S. Manitoba supplies states like Wisconsin with hydroelectric power through multi-billion-dollar arrange- ments, is home to critical minerals vital to U.S. economic sectors and hosts numerous U.S. companies in agriculture, aerospace, mining and manufacturing. However, if the U.S. were to adopt increasingly protectionist policies, Manitoban businesses could face significant challenges. Such policies might include tariffs, import quotas or other non-tariff trade barriers to reduce market access. These barriers could create market uncertainty, leading to supply chain disruptions, job market issues, reduced demand and investment uncertainty, all of which pose threats to Manitoban companies operating in the U.S. Canada maintains diplomatic missions across the U.S. to ensure its voice is heard and employs trade policy analysts in Ottawa to under- stand and help address the impacts of trade decisions. It is essential to recognize that no two nations are more interdependent for their mutu- al prosperity and economic security than the United States and Canada. The U.S. needs Manitoba! ■ … THE POTENTIAL IMPACT OF U.S. PROTECTIONISM ON MANITOBA BUSINESSES? Manitoba businesses and improve competitiveness. The strategy will enable Manitoba to expand its international relationships, seize new commercial opportunities and build on its competitive ad- vantages, all while creating good jobs and boosting the economy. André Brin: We want to be collaborative and an outstand- ing partner. We have access to a global network. The World Trade Centre Winnipeg is one of 316 World Trade Centers in 88 countries. We can leverage that network for exporting trade and potentially in other areas, wheth- er foreign investment attraction, talent attraction or tourism. For instance, next year's World Trade Center Association global business forum is in Marseille, France, in April 2025. We will have a Manitoba delegation there, and we'll be able to leverage our access to the World Trade Center network to create opportunities and connections for businesses that want to export or are looking to France and Europe and others as partners. We want to continue activating that network and those types of opportunities to make sure people understand that this work is accessible and available to our entire ecosystem.

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