The Ontario government has no plans to put U.S. booze back on LCBO shelves amid calls from a group representing U.S. distillers to return American spirits back to Canadian liquor stores.
In a statement released on Monday, Distilled Spirits Council President and CEO Chris Swonger called Canada’s decision to remove a 25 per cent tariff on American spirits a “very positive sign,” but noted it will not have much of an impact as long as provinces refuse to sell U.S. liquor.
“The unfortunate decision to remove American spirits from Canadian retail shelves is not only harming U.S. distillers, but it’s also needlessly reducing revenues for the provinces, and placing unnecessary burdens on Canadian consumers and hospitality businesses,” the statement read.
“American and Canadian spirits are deeply rooted in heritage and are meant to bring people together, not divide us. We are hopeful this is a sign that our special spirits products will soon be back on shelves for Canadians to enjoy and raise a glass to toasts not tariffs.”
According to the council, Canada was the second-largest market for U.S. spirit exports in 2024.Since the trade war with the U.S. began earlier this year, most provinces, with the exception of Alberta and Saskatchewan, have removed U.S. products from store shelves.
In an email to CP24 on Tuesday, a spokesperson for Premier Doug Ford said the province has no plans to begin selling U.S. booze in the near future, noting that the boycott on American products will continue “until further notice.”
The LCBO stopped selling U.S. alcohol back in March.
“We’ll wait until the tariffs come off the table and then depending on where we’re at, we’ll restock the shelves,” Ford said back in March.
Earlier this month, Prime Minister Mark Carney removed all countertariffs on American goods covered by the free-trade agreement between the two countries despite the fact that U.S. tariffs on many Canadian products remain in place.
In a post on social media last week, Ford, who has repeatedly called for dollar-for-dollar retaliatory tariffs, said he spoke to Carney following the announcement to remove countertariffs.
“I spoke with Prime Minister Carney following his announcement to stress the need for an agreement with the United States that provides relief to our tariff-impacted sectors, including steel, auto, forestry and copper,” Ford wrote.
“If the federal government can’t achieve that, they need to hit back hard against U.S. tariffs and provide additional supports for the workers and businesses in these sectors.”
With files from CP24’s Joshua Freeman