Winnipeg Free Press

Winnipeg Free Press (Newspaper) - January 21, 2025, Winnipeg, Manitoba A2 ● WINNIPEGFREEPRESS.COM NEWS TUESDAY, JANUARY 21, 2025 VOL 154 NO 60 Winnipeg Free Press est 1872 / Winnipeg Tribune est 1890 2025 Winnipeg Free Press, a division of FP Canadian Newspapers Limited Partnership. Published six days a week in print and always online at 1355 Mountain Avenue, Winnipeg, Manitoba R2X 3B6, PH: 204-697-7000 CEO / MIKE POWER Editor / PAUL SAMYN Associate Editor Enterprise / SCOTT GIBBONS Associate Editor News / STACEY THIDRICKSON Associate Editor Digital News / WENDY SAWATZKY Director Photo and Multimedia / MIKE APORIUS NEWSMEDIA COUNCIL The Winnipeg Free Press is a member of the National Newsmedia Council, which is an independent organization established to determine acceptable journalistic practices and ethical behaviour. If you have concerns about editorial content, please send them to: editorialconcerns@freepress.mb.ca. 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INSIDE Arts and Life C1 Business B5 Classifieds D8 Comics C5 Diversions C6,7 Horoscope C4 Miss Lonelyhearts C4 Obituaries D7 Opinion A6,7 Sports D1 Television C4 Weather B8 COLUMNISTS: Deveryn Ross A7 READER SERVICE ● GENERAL INQUIRIES 204-697-7000 CIRCULATION INQUIRIES MISSING OR INCOMPLETE PAPER? Call or email before 10 a.m. weekdays or 11 a.m. Saturday City: 204-697-7001 Outside Winnipeg: 1-800-542-8900 press 1 6:30 a.m. - 4 p.m. Monday-Friday.; 7 a.m. - noon Saturday; Closed Sunday TO SUBSCRIBE: 204-697-7001 Out of Winnipeg: 1-800-542-8900 The Free Press receives support from the Local Journalism Initiative funded by the Government of Canada CORRECTION A photo of a new mural on the side of the RBC Convention Centre published in Monday’s edition included incorrect information about the length of the installation. In fact, its length is approximate- ly 60 metres. Chief Justice John Roberts adminis- tered his oath. A cadre of billionaires and tech titans — including Mark Zuckerberg, Jeff Bezos, Tim Cook and Sundar Pichai — were given prominent po- sitions in the rotunda, mingling with Trump’s incoming team before the ceremony began. Also there was Elon Musk, the world’s richest man, who is expected to lead an effort to slash spending and federal employees. Stopping at the White House on their way to the Capitol, Trump and his wife, Melania, were greeted by Biden and first lady Jill Biden for the customary tea and coffee reception. It was a stark departure from four years ago, when Trump refused to acknowledge Biden’s victory or attend his inauguration. “Welcome home,” Biden said to Trump after the president-elect stepped out of the car. The two pres- idents, who have spent years bitterly criticizing each other, shared a limo to the Capitol. After the ceremony, Trump walked with Biden to the build- ing’s east side, where Biden departed via helicopter to begin his post-presi- dential life. Trump followed Biden’s departure with freewheeling remarks to support- ers, revisiting a litany of conspiracy theories about voter fraud and griev- ances against perceived enemies such as former Republican representative Liz Cheney, whom he called “a crying lunatic.” He spoke for even longer than in his inaugural address, saying, “I think this is a better speech than the one I gave upstairs.” Trump’s inauguration realized a political comeback without precedent in American history. Four years ago, he was voted out of the White House during an economic collapse caused by the deadly COVID-19 pandemic. Trump denied his defeat and tried to cling to power. He directed his supporters to march on the Capitol while lawmakers were certifying the election results. It sparked a riot that interrupted the tradition of the peace- ful transfer of power. But Trump never lost his grip on the Republican party and was undeterred by criminal cases and two assassina- tion attempts as he steamrolled rivals and harnessed voters’ exasperation with inflation and illegal immigration. Trump used his inaugural address to repeat his claims that he was targeted by political prosecutions, and he promised to begin “fair, equal and impartial justice.” He also acknowledged he was taking office on Martin Luther King Jr. Day, which honours the slain civil rights hero. “We will strive together to make his dream a reality,” he said. Now Trump is the first person convicted of a felony — for falsifying business records related to hush mon- ey payments — to serve as president. He pledged to “preserve, protect and defend” the constitution from the same spot that was overrun by his supporters on Jan. 6, 2021. He’s said that one of his first acts in office will be to pardon many of those who participated in the riot, and he referred to them as “hostages” on Monday. “It’s action, not words, that count, and you’re going to see a lot of action,” Trump said. Eight years after he first entered the White House as a political newcomer, Trump is far more familiar with the operations of federal government and emboldened to bend it to his vision. Trump wants to bring quick change by curtailing immigration, enacting tar- iffs on imports and rolling back Demo- crats’ climate and social initiatives. He has also promised retribution against his political opponents and critics, and placed personal loyalty as a prime qualification for appointments to his administration. With minutes to go before leaving office, Biden issued pre-emptive par- dons to his siblings and their spouses to shield them from the possibility of prosecution. Earlier in the day, he also pardoned current and former gov- ernment officials who have been the target of Trump’s anger. Biden said “these are exceptional circumstances, and I cannot in good conscience do nothing.” Trump has pledged to go further and move faster in enacting his agen- da than during his first term, and al- ready the country’s political, business and technology leaders have realigned themselves to accommodate him. Democrats who once formed a “resistance” are divided over wheth- er to work with Trump or defy him. Billionaires have lined up to meet with Trump as they acknowledge his unrivalled power and his ability to wield the levers of government to help or hurt their interests. Long skeptical of American allianc- es, Trump’s “America First” foreign policy is being watched warily at home and abroad as Russia’s invasion of Ukraine will soon enter its third year, and a fragile ceasefire appears to be holding in Gaza after more than 15 months of war between Israel and Hamas. Trump, who had promised to end the Ukraine war even before he was sworn in, did not mention the conflict in his inaugural address. Trump said he would lead a gov- ernment that “expands our territory,” a reference to his goals of acquiring Greenland from Denmark and restor- ing U.S. control of the Panama Canal. He also said he would “pursue our manifest destiny into the stars” by launching American astronauts to Mars. Musk, the owner of a space rocket company with billions of dol- lars in federal contracts, cheered and pumped his arms above his head as Trump spoke. — The Associated Press He made no direct mention of the Canada-specific hit in his inaugura- tion speech Monday. He did announce the creation of an external revenue service to collect tariffs, duties and revenues. “It will be massive amounts of mon- ey pouring into our treasury coming from foreign sources,” Trump said. Cam Dahl, Manitoba Pork’s gener- al manager, said now is the time for vigilance. Local pork producers send upwards of $400 million worth of products and $200 million in live pigs to the U.S. annually, Dahl said. It’s part of the nearly $42 billion worth of goods traded between Manito- ba and the U.S. yearly, as per Canadian Chamber of Commerce data. “This is a trading relationship that is critically important to us,” Dahl stressed. Manitoba Pork representatives plan to meet with partners in Iowa this week to promote the mutually benefi- cial bond. Canada must continue to underscore its trade importance with the U.S., said Loren Remillard, president of the Winnipeg Chamber of Commerce. “The prolonged uncertainty as to whether there will or won’t be (tariffs) can be as damaging in many ways,” he added. Already, 30 per cent of Canadian manufacturers have delayed invest- ments and 22 per cent have frozen hir- ing, a recent Canadian Manufacturers and Exporters survey found. Some companies, including Palliser Furniture, are considering an increase to their U.S. manufacturing presence. “Trump works with uncertainty,” said Carlo Dade, the director of trade and trade infrastructure at the Canada West Foundation. “The Americans have weaponized uncertainty as a vehi- cle to weaken trade with other coun- tries to drive jobs back to the U.S.” Dade was in Washington Monday, partaking in inauguration events at the Canadian Embassy. Tariffs came up in conversation as a worry point for American automotive, infrastructure and mining industry members, Dade said. “This is not something that’s unex- pected,” Dade said. “(Government) had … months to prepare, and as far as I can tell … nothing was done.” He referenced an op-ed the foun- dation, a think tank, put out in Sep- tember. The paper predicted a global tariff on exports to the U.S. following Trump’s campaign trail comments. Manitoba’s NDP government has taken U.S. relations seriously since its October 2023 election, Premier Wab Kinew said. Details on a Manitoba trade office in Washington, D.C., are expected in the next couple of months. “I think we’ve got a great, great can- didate, and somebody who would really represent the best of us,” Kinew said. The premier recently met with fel- low first ministers in Ottawa to discuss the threat of tariffs and visited North Dakota earlier this month to represent Manitoba’s economic interests. Last April, he went on a trade mission to Washington. He plans to meet virtually with an American senator today, he said. In the meantime, it’s important to increase manufacturing capacity in Manitoba, Kinew said, pointing to gov- ernment investments in New Flyer and Magellan Aerospace. It’s a good time to reduce interpro- vincial trade barriers and diversify export markets, said the Chamber’s Remillard. The Canada-United States-Mexico Agreement is slated for reconsider- ation in 2026 — it’s likely to be a “very challenging (free trade) review and po- tential renegotiation,” Remillard said. For now, a “unified voice from Can- ada” should be top priority, said Elisa- beth Saftiuk, the Manitoba Chambers of Commerce’s vice-president of policy and government relations. “Businesses … are anxious,” she said. “This is just yet another element of uncertainty and anxiety for busi- nesses with the potential to seriously increase costs.” It follows instability during the COVID-19 pandemic and resulting inflation, Saftiuk said. Tariffs could mean job cuts, scaled- back investments and higher prices in both Canada and the U.S. Trump has also publicized his intentions to crack down on illegal immigrants in America and increase border security. Westlink Immigration, a Winnipeg firm, has fielded more queries about moving north to the keystone province in recent weeks. It hasn’t been a dras- tic increase, noted Pragati Sharma, an immigration consultant with the company. She’s spoken to longtime U.S. res- idents who are “looking for options” in Manitoba. However, options are limited, depending on the situation — especially with Canada scaling back its immigration numbers, Sharma said. Ottawa has announced $1.3 billion for new resources into the country’s border security. It follows Trump’s tariff threats. — with files from The Canadian Press gabrielle.piche@winnipegfreepress.com TRUMP ● FROM A1 MANITOBA ● FROM A1 KEVIN LAMARQUE / POOL PHOTO U.S. President Donald Trump delivers his inaugural address, promising to ‘give the people back their faith, their wealth, their democracy and indeed their freedom.’ President Joe Biden and Vice-President Kamala Harris arrive for the inauguration KENNY HOLSTON / THE NEW YORK TIMES VIA AP, POOL ;