U.S. State Department to close Winnipeg consulate among other foreign missions

The U.S. Embassy in Ottawa, alongside six U.S. consulates across Canada, will remain open. Photo by Ashley Fraser /Postmedia

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The U.S. State Department plans to close five foreign missions, including a consulate in Winnipeg, according to sources cited by Reuters.

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On Monday, the news agency reported that the department has filed notice of the impending closures to Congress, in a move that will see the United States reduce its number of consulates in Canada from seven to six.

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The remaining U.S. consulates in Canada are located in Toronto, Montreal, Vancouver, Calgary, Halifax and Quebec City. The U.S. Embassy in Canada is located in Ottawa.

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The mission in Winnipeg is what’s known as an American Presence Post (APP), which is a type of consulate that operates with limited staffing and responsibilities. According to the U.S. Embassy website, the consulate in Winnipeg does not provide full consular services, only emergency assistance to Americans in distress. Manitoba-related consular matters such as visas, passports, and notarials are handled at other U.S. consulates, primarily in Calgary.

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As well as the consulate in Winnipeg, the State Department said it plans to close its posts in St. George’s, Grenada; Nagoya, Japan; Medan, Indonesia; and Douala, Cameroon.

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The U.S. mission in St. George’s is an ⁠embassy, while the posts in Medan and Nagoya are consulates, and the post in Douala is an “embassy branch office.”

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Reuters reports that the closures are a “rare” example of the U.S. downsizing its geopolitical footprint.

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U.S. missions around the world had been asked to look into reducing both American and locally employed staff by at least 10 per cent as part of a cost-cutting effort across the U.S. federal workforce.

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The State Department did not confirm the planned closures, but said in a statement to Reuters on Sunday that it was ​focused on ensuring the ⁠nation’s diplomatic footprint was efficient and effective. The department added that it was committed to following congressional notification procedures.

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Meanwhile, the reports of closures come days after the State Department caused a stir among attendees at a global conference in Brazil, where a U.S. government map of Africa mislabeled every country during a presentation by the department.

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A Reuters analysis also found that the map contained a watermark that signalled it was made using AI.

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The State Department said ​it took “full responsibility” for the confusion and that the map had been produced by a team member who ​had hastily changed the slide deck before the event.

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