PEREIRA: Churchill rising: How the North can make Manitoba a “have province”

When Prime Minister Mark Carney was asked about Canada’s port priorities, he pointed north to the Port of Churchill , saying, “There’s much more to it than Contrecoeur in terms of what it potentially unlocks. It unlocks LNG… major Indigenous leadership and participation… pathways for critical minerals and links into Europe.” That comparison to Contrecoeur, the expansion of Canada’s second-largest port — the Port of Montreal — signalled a shift in Canada’s economic geography: the next engine of national growth now sits in northern Manitoba.

Despite vast clean-energy, mineral, and agricultural strength, Manitoba remains labelled a “have-not” province. But Manitoba’s Economic Development Strategy 2025 set an expiration date on that narrative: Manitoba aims to become a “have province” b