WFP: Manitoba Prepares for Trump
Alastair Clarke was recently interviewed by the Winnipeg Free Press Tyler Searle regarding the potential impact of future Trump policies on Manitoba. We have been following the events in the USA closely. If you have read Mr Clarke’s background information, his mother was born and raised in the USA.
As noted in the WFP, CIL assisted many individuals immigrate to Canada from the USA after Trump was elected for the first time. We are seeing a similar flood of calls again in 2024:
The Canadian Border Services Agency said it will continue to closely monitor trade and travel at the border.
“The agency works in an operating environment that changes on a daily basis and we are ready to respond and adapt as needed,” spokesperson Luke Reimer said in an email.
Winnipeg immigration lawyer Alastair Clarke said his office has already begun fielding calls from potential clients south of the border.
“My first thought was that we are going to need to hire more people,” he said, describing the moment he learned Trump won the election.
Clarke said his office engaged with “hundreds, possibly thousands” of migrants after Trump last took office, including refugee claimants, skilled workers and international students.
Some American citizens also reached out to inquire about coming to Canada, citing fears of a potential civil war and a feeling the incoming administration did not represent their values, he said.
“We are going to have to see which policies are implemented, which of (Trump’s) campaign promises actually lead to changes in legislation or executive orders. At this point, I would caution people not to make any rash decisions,” the lawyer said.
As reported, we have assisted many individuals, families and businesses. Every case is different. 
Mr Clarke has family members in Minnesota, Virginia, California, New York, Florida and other states. He is in regular contact with many American clients to guide them on Canadian immigration matters. In our post, “Where are you from?”, Mr Clarke describes his connections to the USA:
My mother’s side is more complicated. Her parents are from Kansas, USA. Her mother was the eldest of 10 children and she grew up on a farm during the Depression. She joked that she walked to and from school uphill 10 miles every day. We would, of course, chide her that it is impossible to walk uphill in both directions.
My maternal grandparents both graduated from the University of Kansas, where my grandfather completed his medical degree. After they married, my grandfather worked at Johns Hopkins University where he did research on finding treatments for chemical weapons. During WWII, they were worried the Japanese would send balloons with anthrax and my grandfather worked on a cure. Afterwards, they moved to Red Wing, Minnesota where he had a general practice in medicine and he worked at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester.
Mr Clarke has many fond memories of his time in Minnesota, at his grandmother’s house overlooking the Mississippi river. As an adult, he lived in Washington DC in 2002 where he spent time at the Canadian Embassy and at the OAS. He also lived in New York City in 2004. As he described:
I moved to Washington DC and spent time at the Canadian Embassy. I was privileged to work on issues of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) and, based on my proficiency in Spanish, I liaised with the Organization of American States (OAS). At that time, I took the foreign service exam and I was on my way to join DFAIT. Then, with the Ebola crisis, we decided not to move abroad (again). After a year in DC, we moved to NYC where I connected with Global Youth Action Network (GYAN) where I worked as an Assistant Producer to TV shows. I worked on YVote 2004 and Chat the Planet, which aired on MTV. I also worked on contract with the United Nations to further the Millennium Development Goals. Then law school…
