Manitoba’s trade representative to the United States expressed concerns Thursday a deepwater port at Nome, Alaska, could be completed before the Port of Churchill is modernized.

Richard Madan suggested there is urgency associated with plans to modernize and expand the northern Manitoba port, an idea Premier Wab Kinew is promoting as a means of improving Canada’s sovereignty over the Arctic.

“If there continues to be feasibility studies or discussions, but no action, that could be problematic,” Madan said during a morning address to the Manitoba Pork Council at the RBC Convention Centre in Winnipeg.

“Right now in Nome, Alaska, they are building a deepwater seaport, and they’re pouring billions of dollars to build this. If they have that built and operational before Churchill is fully modernized, that could be problematic.”

Nome is located in western Alaska, at the edge of the Bering Sea, which is connected to Arctic waters through the Bering Strait.

Although the town of 3,700 is frozen in most of the year, the U.S. is spending roughly $757 million Cdn to create a deepwater port at Nome that would facilitate Arctic access.

Crews will demolish the existing port at Nome this summer, the New York Times recently reported. The first phase of the project is expected to be finished in 2029, with the full job slated for completion in 2033.

The expansion of the Port of Churchill, meanwhile, remains in the conceptual phase while the governments of Manitoba and Canada, along with the Arctic Gateway Group — which owns the port and the Hudson Bay Railway that connects it to the rest of Canada — determine the scope of the project.

The provincial and federal governments have earmarked $263 million so far to engineer upgrades to the railway and build new storage and loading systems at the port, among other improvements.

Madan would not say whether he believes the Churchill project can be completed by 2029.

CBC News has sought comment from the premier’s office and Arctic Gateway.

Canada-U.S. tensions

The bulk of Madan’s address on Thursday concerned Canada-U.S. trade and the strained relationship between the two nations.

Madan agreed it is unlikely a new Canada-U.S.-Mexico trade deal will be reached prior to a July deadline, and said he is concerned the final deal may be a series of concessions by Canada.

The Canada-U.S. trade relationship has become less friendly and more transactional in nature, he said. Madan advised Canadians to reach out to their American contacts to demonstrate the mutually beneficial nature of trade.

He also said he has been focused on working more closely with U.S. state officials than federal officials, during an election year when much of Washington is distracted by other issues.

Madan said he plans to travel to Alaska next week, with Manitoba Trade Minister Jamie Moses, to attend an Arctic summit hosted by Alaska Sen. Lisa Murkowski.

The trade representative, who started work last summer, said he has spent his first months at the job building up relationships.

“The challenge of this role is you’re starting from scratch, right? So like any business or anyone who’s open to business, the first year is capacity building,” he said.

The current political situation in the U.S. does not make it easy to demonstrate this work, he said. Some Republicans, for example, won’t pose with him for photos, he said.

“They say, ‘Please don’t, because this is an election year and I don’t want to make it look like I’m cozying up to Canadians,'” he said.

Madan said he is not concerned with criticism raised by Manitoba Opposition Leader Obby Khan, who questioned why Madan has not secured new trade deals for Manitoba.

“Provinces don’t set trade deals, right? The federal government hasn’t got a trade deal yet. And opposition is going to opposition,” he said.

Madan also dismissed Khan’s criticism of his salary, noting it is similar to what Alberta and Ontario are paying for trade help — and almost as much as a CBC executive makes in Toronto, he said.

“The difference is … they get a bonus,” quipped Madan, a former CTV and CBC reporter.

Madan said he will probably return to news after his three years as Manitoba’s trade representative are up and expressed disappointment his salary became the subject of news stories.

“It can be very stressful when you’re trying to do the best for a province and there are issues that are out of your control that come in the way,” he said.