A former CTV and CBC reporter hired to serve as Manitoba’s trade envoy to the United States is taking home more than $480,000 Cdn a year in consulting fees, according to his contract with the province.

Richard Madan is being paid a consulting fee of $29,166.67 US per month for a total of $350,000 US per year, according to a signed contract obtained through freedom of information legislation.

That works out to a one-year consulting compensation of $481,600 Cdn, based on the Bank of Canada’s exchange rate on Sept. 17, 2025, the day Madan’s contract was signed.

The contract also shows Madan can claim up to $25,000 US a year for “hospitality and diplomacy expenses” and up to $1,000 US per month “for reasonable out-of-pocket expenses associated with operating in Washington, D.C.” That adds up to nearly $51,000 Cdn.

This $387,000 US total compensation package works out to $532,512 in Canadian funds, based on the Bank of Canada exchange rate on Sept. 17.

Premier Wab Kinew’s office said in October that Madan was earning a $387,000 “salary” in Canadian funds to strengthen Manitoba’s ties with U.S. officials and ensure the province’s interests are protected in trade agreements.

On Thursday, Kinew spokesperson Amy Tuckett-McGimpsey described the $387,000 figure as a “base salary” for Madan. 

She suggested the total consulting fee is meant to cover “expenses such as health insurance, pension, transportation costs and conference fees within a certain radius” as well as other expenses.

The contract governing Madan’s consulting fee described it as “an all-inclusive payment of remuneration to the consultant for the provision of the services and shall also include all expenses associated with travel and parking within Washington D.C. Capital Beltway.”

Madan’s contract also states the province will reimburse him for other out-of-pocket expenses if he receives prior written approval and an invoice. 

Madan declined to comment on his compensation.

Madan’s fee initially redacted

The U.S. trade representative contract was signed between the province and an American corporation owned by Madan to cover a three-year period that began June 24, 2025 and ends on June 23, 2028.

After CBC News filed a freedom-of-information request for the contract, the province provided a redacted copy that did not include Madan’s consulting fee, the name of his corporation or the amount of money he was reimbursed for “reasonable” out-of-pocket expenses.

CBC News questioned those redactions under Manitoba’s contract disclosure legislation and pointed out that Madan’s corporation can be located through U.S. company record searches. This led the province to revise the document to include the previously blacked-out figures.

Manitoba Progressive Conservative Leader Obby Khan, who called Madan’s $387,000 compensation outrageous and absurd in October, said even higher pay for the former reporter is sad and concerning.

“Manitobans are struggling to pay their bills here. Manitobans are struggling for food on the table. They’re struggling with the economy,” Khan said in an interview Friday.

He claimed Madan has “brought zero dollars into the province” and suggested Kinew should have have emulated Saskatchewan Premier Scott Moe in order to improve Manitoba’s trade position.

“Premier Moe has gone to Malaysia to secure billions of dollars of trade. He’s gone to China, and him and the prime minister were integral in removing the tariffs on canola, bringing in billions of dollars,” Khan said.

“Now, he signed a $2.8-billion deal in India for uranium. So, what has happened in Manitoba? Nothing.”

Trade envoy makes more than premier, PM

Madan’s $481,600 Cdn consulting fee is roughly 2½ times what Kinew makes as Manitoba’s premier and also exceeds what Mark Carney makes as prime minister.

The premier’s office stated in the fall that Madan’s compensation is in line with what some other provinces are paying for trade representatives and lobbyists, such as Ontario’s David Paterson, a former executive with General Motors, Manulife and BlackBerry, who was slated to earn $364,000 in 2025.

Ontario also spent $600,000 on Washington lobbying firm Capitol Counsel, LLC in 2025, the premier’s office noted in the fall.

Kinew spokesperson Ryan Stelter said at the time that Madan “hit the ground running” in his new role, thanks to what Stelter called Madan’s “established network” of contacts.

Madan helped the agricultural sector prepare for new U.S. country-of-origin labelling, dealt with trade issues such as a U.S. investigation into Canadian mushrooms and organized a Capitol Hill “advocacy day” for Manitoba, Stelter said.