Plans to close the U.S. Consulate in Winnipeg mean the United States will “lose touch with a broad swath of Canada,” a former employee says.
The U.S. State Department is planning a phased closure of the consulate, with its diplomatic engagement responsibilities to be transferred to the U.S. Embassy in Ottawa, a spokesperson told CBC News on Tuesday.
The decision reflects the State Department’s “commitment to efficient resource management,” the spokesperson said. They did not offer a timeline of when the closure will begin.
The Winnipeg consulate is the only closure in North America. It’s among five smaller embassies and consulates set to close in order to streamline operations, U.S. President Donald Trump’s administration informed Congress last week.
The diplomatic post in Winnipeg doesn’t offer consular or visa services but does have a representative tasked with building trade relations and advancing U.S. policy.
Brad Kirbyson, a former political and economic specialist who worked in the consulate in Winnipeg for 20 years, says the move means the U.S. will lose “direct contact with a significant part of Canada.”
“I’m sure it’ll save them a few dollars, but I think the net effect is to lose touch with a broad swath of Canada by not having a presence there,” he said Tuesday.
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Kirbyson, who started working at the consulate after it reopened in 2001, says it’s only rational to have one in Winnipeg as they can help to provide and resolve early warnings of potential trade issues.
“The United States found that it was a very long way between the U.S. Consulate in Calgary and the [one] in Toronto,” Kirbyson said. “It makes a lot of sense to have a consulate in the middle of the country that can cover issues in this part of the world.”
He said he’s disappointed by the announcement and hopes the U.S. will reconsider.
The planned closure comes amid tensions between Premier Wab Kinew and the U.S., particularly over tariffs imposed by Trump, with Manitoba retaliating earlier this year by announcing it will no longer import U.S.-made alcohol.
Kinew has called Trump’s policies “dumb” and has labelled the president “Enemy No. 1” when it comes to the economy.
The province is working to stand up for Manitoba workers and businesses through its U.S. trade council, a provincial spokesperson told CBC News in a statement.
The province reopened its trade office in Washington, and the consulate’s closure “does not change its role,” the spokesperson said.
Manitoba’s Opposition says the closure is disappointing and underscores Kinew’s failure to get things done on cross-border trade.
Progressive Conservative Leader Obby Khan says despite Kinew’s government spending nearly $1 million a year on a Washington, D.C., trade office, it has failed to deliver new investment or trade deals.
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Chuck Davidson, CEO of the Manitoba Chambers of Commerce, told CBC News in a statement it’s too early to say what the impact of the closure will be on Manitoba.
However, he said Manitoba’s Washington trade representative would serve as an advantage if Winnipeg’s U.S. Consulate closed.
The trade representative to the U.S. will become a “more crucial position,” said André Brin, CEO of the World Trade Centre in Winnipeg.
“Should this materialize, then this person has, to me, an additional responsibility of sort of keeping Manitoba on their radar in the U.S., and then we have the responsibility of doing that in Canada,” he said Tuesday.
Brin says the move to close the Winnipeg office is “not ideal” as it will add to the responsibilities of other U.S. Consulates in Canada.
“I think it’s not the right decision.”
Brin says although the U.S. Consulate is the smallest in Canada, it helps Manitoba companies connect with opportunities while also helping American companies that want to do business in the province.
“It was mostly that constant dialogue of understanding,” he said. “We need to keep those lines of communication open.”
The news should serve as a reminder for Canada not to rely on the U.S. economically, Brin said.
“I think we should be looking at other countries that don’t have consuls here.”
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A professor says any disruption would be a bigger loss for the U.S.
The diplomatic post in Winnipeg serves as the “eyes and ears of Americans” to keep tabs on what’s going on in the region, said Bryan Peller, an associate professor with the University of Manitoba’s political sciences department.
“Americans will still get this information, most likely, but it’s going to be from someone in Washington now. So, it’s not gonna be as accurate.”
CBC News has reached out to Global Affairs Canada for comment but did not hear back before publication.
