Former CTV, CBC Reporter Hired to Run Manitoba’s U.S. Trade Office Earns $387K a Year
A former CTV and CBC reporter hired by Premier Wab Kinew’s NDP government to head Manitoba’s U.S. trade office in Washington, D.C. is earning a $387,000 annual salary, according to documents released by the premier’s office.
Richard Madan, a veteran journalist and former White House correspondent, was appointed in June to lead Manitoba’s efforts to strengthen economic and political ties with the United States. His compensation nearly matches Prime Minister Mark Carney’s salary of $406,000 and far exceeds Kinew’s own pay of $195,936.
Role aims to deepen Manitoba’s U.S. connections
The premier’s office said Madan’s experience in Washington gives Manitoba “a valuable network of politicians, journalists, and industry leaders.”
Since taking the post, Madan has:
Helped prepare Manitoba’s agriculture sector for new U.S. country-of-origin labelling rules,
Engaged with U.S. officials on trade issues such as the mushroom export investigation, and
Begun organizing a Capitol Hill advocacy day highlighting Manitoba’s food, minerals, and Arctic contributions.
Opposition blasts ‘outrageous’ salary
Progressive Conservative Leader Obby Khan called the salary “outrageous” and “preposterous,” arguing Madan is “untested in trade” and earns eight times the average Manitoban’s salary.
“Three hundred and eighty-seven thousand for a career journalist who’s untested in this industry? That’s almost what the prime minister makes,” Khan said.
Khan also criticized the trade office’s $800,000 annual budget, questioning whether Madan has secured any tangible trade deals since taking the job.
Premier’s office defends compensation
Kinew’s office said the salary aligns with what other provinces pay for similar roles. Ontario’s trade representative David Paterson, for example, earns $364,000, and the province also spends $600,000 annually on a Washington lobbying firm.
Madan could not be reached for comment. His LinkedIn profile shows more than 20 years in broadcasting, including four years with CBC Manitoba, six with CityTV Toronto, and over a decade with CTV News in Ottawa and Washington.
“I’ve covered Washington for almost a decade, so I know the players,” Madan said in June. “My role is to facilitate meetings that could lead to something lucrative down the road.”
The salary disclosure follows a three-month freedom-of-information effort by CBC News to obtain details about Manitoba’s Washington office budget, which remains under review.
