Former TV reporter hired as Manitoba trade rep in Washington earns roughly twice as much as Premier

The Manitoba legislature in 2024. Premier Wab Kinew's office says Richard Madan's salary is comparable to those of trade reps in other provinces.

Manitoba’s trade representative in Washington, D.C. is making $387,000 a year.

Premier Wab Kinew’s office has revealed the salary for Richard Madan, a former television reporter hired in the spring to head up a trade office inside the Canadian Embassy.

The premier’s office says Madan’s pay is similar to money spent by some other provinces, including Ontario and Saskatchewan, on trade representatives or third-party lobby firms.

But Opposition Progressive Conservative Leader Obby Khan says Ontario has hired someone with trade experience, while Madan’s background is in reporting.

Madan’s salary is roughly double that of Kinew’s, and the NDP gov