Premier Wab Kinew on Tuesday raised the idea of creating a second port on Hudson Bay as Manitoba hosted a delegation of European Union diplomats looking to forge stronger links with the province.
European Union Ambassador Geneviève Tuts and 18 heads of mission of European member states met with Kinew at the legislative building.
“We’re looking for closer relationships … given what’s happening with the U.S. right now,” Kinew told reporters after a closed-door meeting with the delegation, which arrived Monday for a two-day visit.
“I think that relationship, for the economy, is going to make sense for decades to come,” he added, saying he fully expects a post-Trump U.S. administration to maintain some protectionist policies.
The gathering was a chance to show the countries, which represent a market of 450 million people, that Manitoba is open for business, he said.
With the trade threats made by U.S. President Donald Trump, there is a need to look at options for exports, which could include another port away from Churchill, Kinew said.
“The port at Churchill or another port in Hudson Bay is an amazing economic opportunity for us in Manitoba and across Canada,” Kinew said.
This is the first time Kinew has indicated any openness to the idea of a second port, which has been raised by others before.
The prior Progressive Conservative government in Manitoba put forward a funding commitment to study it, but Kinew’s government cancelled that.
On Tuesday, he said the idea would not even be on the table if Trump didn’t upend world trade.
“Post-Trump, any of the economic development ideas we had in Canada and Manitoba, they need to be 10 times as big, 100 times, to stimulate jobs,” he said.
Ships can reach the major ports of Rotterdam in the Netherlands and Antwerp in Belgium more quickly from Hudson Bay than from many other North American ports, Kinew said.
“I think that we can really turn this period of turbulence into a period of opportunity,” he said.
“Many of the member countries around the table said they want to import energy products in the summer to prepare for their winter. We have a shipping season in Churchill that’s open during the summer months.”
However, the existing Churchill port may not be ideal, given that beluga-watching season is the same as shipping season, which may be the reason to build a second one elsewhere on the bay, Kinew said.
“Balancing the consideration between growing our economy while accessing tidewater in Manitoba while protecting our environment — belugas, polar bears — is super important to get right,” Kinew said.
The western Hudson Bay is home to 57,000 beluga whales, and every summer roughly 4,000 whales make their way to the Churchill River estuary to feed, mate and give birth, according to Travel Manitoba.
“Looking at other port opportunities [away from the estuary] is possibly the way to sort out that balancing act,” Kinew said.
Asked about concerns over potential spills if energy products are shipped, Kinew said Canadians are re-examining what must be done in order to grow the economy in the shadow of Trump.
While those considerations are weighed, there are other in-demand products Manitoba can ship, such as critical minerals and agricultural products, he said.
There is no indication whether any funding might come from the EU or federal government to help cover the cost of a second port, but there are some favourable signs, Kinew suggested.
The delegation wants to invest in things such as critical minerals and clean energy products, while “the leading contenders to be the next prime minister have made clear that they want nation-building projects,” he said.
WATCH | Kinew suggests 2nd Hudson Bay port:
Manitoba premier floats idea of 2nd Hudson Bay port to increase trade with Europe
Progressive Conservative leadership candidate Wally Daudrich, who has advocated for a new Hudson Bay port closer to the mouth of the Nelson River, praised Kinew for realizing Churchill is not an ideal location to increase marine trade.
“I love Churchill. Obviously that’s where I’m from,” said Daudrich, who owns a hotel and ecotourism business in the coastal town.
“But as a captain on Hudson Bay, I have to say that I understand maritime conditions and that they will never permit Churchill to be a 12-month port, which is what we need.”
The chair of Arctic Gateway Group, which runs the Hudson Bay Railway and Port of Churchill, said Kinew has always been supportive of the existing trade corridor — and offered a stoic response to the premier’s comments about a second Hudson Bay port.
“When you’re nation-building, there are a lot of things that you have to look at, right? And, and I think he’s wanting to cover the bases, so to speak,” said Mike Spence, who also serves as Churchill’s mayor.
On Monday, Kinew said he wants to redirect some electricity to northern Manitoba to strengthen the Hudson Bay Railway-Port of Churchill trade corridor.
Tuts, the E.U. ambassador, said Europe is specifically interested in developing trade with Manitoba in the biotech and clean energy sectors and also desires critical minerals required “for the digital transition.” She also underscored the importance of making full use of the Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (CETA) signed between Canada and Europe in 2016.
“I think that Manitoba has all of the ingredients to deepen even more the friendship and the partnership. Europe has some needs, Manitoba as well. That’s maybe the reason why we have decided to visit your beautiful province,” Tuts said.
Kinew said the meeting also covered cultural diplomacy — bringing an EU film festival to Manitoba and sending artistic exhibits and performances overseas.
The EU heads of mission will also meet with the Business Council of Manitoba and the Indigenous Chamber of Commerce, and tour the Canadian North American Aerospace Defence Command (NORAD) headquarters and CentrePort Canada, a key hub for international trade, a news release from the province said.
The delegation is made up of the ambassadors and high commissioners of Austria, Belgium, Croatia, Cyprus, Estonia, Finland, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, the Netherlands, Portugal, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain and Sweden.
