Latest news with #RichardMadan
Hamilton Spectator
41 minutes ago
- Business
- Hamilton Spectator
Manitoba government hires former reporter to lead trade office in Washington, D.C.
WINNIPEG - The Manitoba government has hired a former journalist to lead a trade office in Washington, D.C. Richard Madan, who has worked in the United States capital for a decade as a reporter for Canadian television networks, is tasked with promoting Manitoba's interests in trade negotiations. Madan doesn't have a trade background, but says he has connections in Washington and can offer skills in building and maintaining relationships. The government has not disclosed how much Madan will be paid over his two-year contract. The NDP government's spring budget designated $800,000 for the trade office, which includes money for office space and administrative support. Madan recently left the CBC and says he welcomes the chance to serve Manitoba, where he started his journalism career, by building connections. 'I've been in D.C. for almost a decade, so I do have a fairly good Rolodex and I do know how to stick handle my way through Capitol Hill,' Madan said Tuesday. 'I'm not signing trade deals, I'm not negotiating. That is not what I'm doing. My goal is to be a facilitator, set up these meetings, identify where Manitoba can make inroads.' This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 24, 2025 Error! Sorry, there was an error processing your request. There was a problem with the recaptcha. Please try again. You may unsubscribe at any time. By signing up, you agree to our terms of use and privacy policy . This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google privacy policy and terms of service apply. Want more of the latest from us? Sign up for more at our newsletter page .
Winnipeg Free Press
an hour ago
- Business
- Winnipeg Free Press
Manitoba government hires former reporter to lead trade office in Washington, D.C.
WINNIPEG – The Manitoba government has hired a former journalist to lead a trade office in Washington, D.C. Richard Madan, who has worked in the United States capital for a decade as a reporter for Canadian television networks, is tasked with promoting Manitoba's interests in trade negotiations. Madan doesn't have a trade background, but says he has connections in Washington and can offer skills in building and maintaining relationships. The government has not disclosed how much Madan will be paid over his two-year contract. The NDP government's spring budget designated $800,000 for the trade office, which includes money for office space and administrative support. Madan recently left the CBC and says he welcomes the chance to serve Manitoba, where he started his journalism career, by building connections. 'I've been in D.C. for almost a decade, so I do have a fairly good Rolodex and I do know how to stick handle my way through Capitol Hill,' Madan said Tuesday. 'I'm not signing trade deals, I'm not negotiating. That is not what I'm doing. My goal is to be a facilitator, set up these meetings, identify where Manitoba can make inroads.' This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 24, 2025
Toronto Star
an hour ago
- Business
- Toronto Star
Manitoba government hires former reporter to lead trade office in Washington, D.C.
WINNIPEG - The Manitoba government has hired a former journalist to lead a trade office in Washington, D.C. Richard Madan, who has worked in the United States capital for a decade as a reporter for Canadian television networks, is tasked with promoting Manitoba's interests in trade negotiations.
CBC
an hour ago
- Business
- CBC
Manitoba taps former White House correspondent Richard Madan to lead Washington trade office
Manitoba has opened a permanent office in Washington, D.C., and hired a former White House news correspondent to lead trade and economic discussions down south. Richard Madan, a former reporter for CTV and CBC, has been tapped to lead the office starting immediately, the province said in a Tuesday news release. The D.C. trade office, which Premier Wab Kinew first promised last December, is intended to strengthen Manitoba's ties with U.S. lawmakers, industry leaders and trade officials, as well as ensuring Manitoba's interests are protected in agreements such as a renewed Canada-United States-Mexico Agreement, Kinew said in the news release. Kinew previously said he wanted the person leading the trade office to intimately understand Manitoba's economic strategy, represent the province's values and "speak the language" of the Trump administration. Madan spent more than two decades as a journalist covering American and Canadian politics, including as a White House correspondent, and Kinew said he has deep ties with major figures in the U.S. capital that will help Manitoba in trade talks. adviser on Canada-U.S. relations, the province said. Manitoba's 2025 budget included $800,000 for the Washington office, which will provide funds for office space, salaries and administrative support, the province said. The trade office was initially recommended by the premier's business and jobs council.
Winnipeg Free Press
21 hours ago
- Business
- Winnipeg Free Press
Kinew hires dual citizen who spent decade as reporter in Washington as province's U.S. trade representative
Premier Wab Kinew has hired a former Washington, D.C. news correspondent as Manitoba's trade representative to the United States. Richard Madan is taking on a new role in the U.S. capital after reporting on Washington politics for nearly a decade, first for CTV and then CBC. The American-born, Alberta-raised journalist arrived in Winnipeg Monday and officially begins his job Tuesday with the title of Manitoba senior representative to the U.S. JOHN WOODS / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS Richard Madan, a long-time news correspondent in Washington, will be Manitoba's trade representative to the United States. 'This is the most exciting opportunity I've ever had,' Madan said in an interview late Monday. 'This is an opportunity of a lifetime just to represent a province that I love and where my career started and really try to advocate for it in the United States.' Madan said he's here this week to meet with the provincial government and business, labour and Indigenous leaders. Although he was happy with his reporting job, the trade rep position felt like a chance to use his skills, background and experience to do 'the right thing.' 'I'm an American. I'm also Canadian, and this sounds corny, but you just kind of want to help,' he said. Kinew — who was a TV journalist before he was a politician — announced in December that the province would hire a U.S. trade envoy early in the new year to represent Manitoba's interests. Madan was covering the premiers' visit to Washington during the winter and heard that Manitoba was looking to hire a trade representative to work in the U.S. capital alongside other provinces, including Alberta, Ontario and Quebec. 'I'm an American. I'm also Canadian, and this sounds corny, but you just kind of want to help.'–Richard Madan 'I said, 'I'm glad you guys are doing it because this should have been done decades ago. Let me know how I can help',' he said. 'I just left it at that. Then, a few months later, I received a call asking if I would be interested.' He said he thought long and hard about it. 'I feel I'm made for this,' said Madan, who is married, in his early 50s and holds dual citizenship. 'I was born in Athens, Georgia, lived a lot of my life in Canada, and I thought, you know, we're at this very critical, important time…. I understand this country. I know how to talk to these guys. I know how to connect with them. I think that that's really needed right now.' Madan said he contacted Canada's Ambassador to the U.S. Kirsten Hillman earlier in the day to let her know he was taking the position. He didn't know Monday if he was going to have an office in the Canadian Embassy. Some business leaders said they were surprised that a former journalist got the job. 'I think it's an interesting choice,' said Manitoba Chambers of Commerce president and CEO Chuck Davidson. 'It's typically been someone that may have been a former MP or an elected official or someone from the business community.' 'I understand this country. I know how to talk to these guys. I know how to connect with them. I think that that's really needed right now.'–Richard Madan Davidson said Madan's connection to Winnipeg and Manitoba, combined with his journalism background, should serve him well in the position. Madan worked as a CBC TV reporter in Winnipeg from 2000 to 2004, reported on politics for CityTV in Toronto from 2004 to 2010, worked for CTV as a parliamentary correspondent in Ottawa from 2010 until 2016, when he moved to its bureau in Washington D.C. In 2023, Madan was let go by CTV as part of major layoffs at the network. Later that year, CBC hired him as one of its Washington correspondents. Madan was in Washington when U.S. President Donald Trump was elected to his first term in 2016. Kinew announced the plan to hire a Manitoba trade rep under the looming threat of U.S. tariffs last December, several weeks before Trump's second inauguration. 'It's obviously going to be a new role for him, someone coming from the media going into a role like this — sort of an advocacy position. It'll be interesting. I'm sure that Richard will get the support of the business community and government to move forward and be successful in this role, hopefully,' Davidson said. Bram Strain, president and CEO of the Business Council of Manitoba, said he was surprised initially by Madan's selection, but it made sense when he thought about it. Tuesdays A weekly look at politics close to home and around the world. 'Obviously, being a reporter, he knows lots of people. He knows how (Washington) works, he knows how that government works,' Strain said. 'What you're accessing is the network — as opposed to someone who knows business first, but doesn't know the way the town works. That's very important.' Strain heads the business council made up of more than 100 leading business presidents and CEOs who've committed to Manitoba's economic growth and community development. He said the trade envoy needs to listen to businesses to learn what the province needs and then represent it. Carol SandersLegislature reporter Carol Sanders is a reporter at the Free Press legislature bureau. The former general assignment reporter and copy editor joined the paper in 1997. Read more about Carol. Every piece of reporting Carol produces is reviewed by an editing team before it is posted online or published in print — part of the Free Press's tradition, since 1872, of producing reliable independent journalism. Read more about Free Press's history and mandate, and learn how our newsroom operates. Our newsroom depends on a growing audience of readers to power our journalism. If you are not a paid reader, please consider becoming a subscriber. 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