Manitoba premier defends 'meme war' as PCs criticize video making fun of Trump

Arturo Chang · CBC News

· Posted: Mar 13, 2025 2:00 PM EDT | Last Updated: 10 minutes ago

Manitoba's premier is defending his cheeky attack to the Canada-U.S. commercialized warfare connected societal media aft the Progressive Conservatives criticized him for making amusive of Donald Trump.

Wab Kinew said Thursday that a video he posted connected TikTok past week, successful which helium signed a faux enforcement bid pulling American intoxicant disconnected liquor shelves successful the province, is simply a mode to equilibrium the province's effect to U.S. protectionist measures portion staying existent to the "friendly Manitoba" identity.

"Part of this is simply a meme war, right?" Kinew told Information Radio big Marcy Markusa.

"They're talking down Canada. They're … going aft our premier minister. So I would expect that whoever successful the White House is doing that is going to person a consciousness of humour, too. So we tin chirp backmost with things similar the enforcement bid video."

LISTEN | Manitoba's premier connected the latest successful the Canada-U.S. commercialized war:

On Wednesday, interim Progressive Conservative Leader Wayne Ewasko attacked Kinew for mimicking the U.S. president portion getting "no attention" from U.S. decision-makers.

Ewasko utilized question play to knock Kinew's attack for not yielding results similar those achieved by Ontario Premier Doug Ford.

Earlier this week, Ford imposed a 25 per cent surcharge connected energy going to the U.S., though helium aboriginal suspended it after Trump fired backmost by threatening to double tariffs connected Canadian alloy and aluminum.

Ford said he'd agreed to the suspension aft the U.S. caput of commerce agreed to a meeting, which is taking spot Thursday morning.

N.S. Premier Tim Houston "is advancing interprovincial commercialized reform, portion Doug Ford is getting nonstop meetings with U.S. Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick," Ewasko said during question period.

"Manitoba's premier? Well, he's mocking President Trump connected his TikTok for societal media clicks."

Ewasko besides referred to an interrogation the premier did for an nonfiction successful the New York Post that described Kinew arsenic an "ex-con rapper-turned-Canadian politician" who was "playing pugnacious guy" successful the commercialized war.

The Opposition is "so tender-footed astir offending Mr. President Trump. They can't adjacent carnivore to offend him," Kinew said during the exchange.

"You cognize what? We did bent up a monolithic Canadian flag. It was a happening of quality — a precise beautiful, wonderful, astonishing emblem that we were each blessed to spot extracurricular of the gathering here," helium said.

On Thursday, the premier said the gags besides assistance morale by letting Manitobans cognize "we proceed to support a bully consciousness of humour."

'We person to beryllium judicious'

But Kinew besides said the state needs to cognize erstwhile to alteration tack and should beryllium strategical erstwhile plotting retired moves successful the commercialized warfare with the U.S.

The province is acceptable to enactment tougher connected the U.S. if President Donald Trump follows done with immoderate upcoming tariff deadlines, but close now, the state is trying to negotiate, Kinew said.

"We person to beryllium strategical and we person to retrieve that this is simply a four-year presidency that we're dealing with," helium said.

"We decidedly person immoderate large 'Trump cards,' if you will, including with Manitoba Hydro … but we person to beryllium judicious erstwhile we're reasoning astir however to play these cards."

He specifically mentioned Hydro contracts with U.S. firms, purchasing of transformers and powerfulness enactment instrumentality — which Kinew said is worth $35 cardinal implicit the adjacent 2 decades — and surcharges connected immoderate vigor exports.