Cracks in Team Canada as some premiers openly question booze boycott strategy A paper notice lists the removal of bottles of U.S. alcohol from the shelves of an LCBO store in Toronto, on March 4, 2025. Arlyn McAdorey/Reuters As the clock ticked on a trade deal to avert U.S. President Donald Trump’s threat of a new round of punishing tariffs, clear cracks between Canada’s premiers and Prime Minister Mark Carney started to show. As of Friday afternoon, Ontario Premier Doug Ford, normally vocal about the need to stand up to Mr. Trump, had been completely silent on whether he would accede to a request from Mr. Carney to end the province’s ban on the sale of U.S. alcohol at its liquor stores. The premiers routinely refer to themselves as a unified “Team Canada,” and in recent weeks Mr. Ford and the rest had mostly avoided criticizing Mr. Carney or his negotiators as they rolled up their sleeves in Washington. If U.S. booze returns, will Canadians buy it or ‘let it rot’? In a conference call on Wednesday about the talks, Mr. Carney asked premiers to drop their retaliatory bans on U.S. alcohol sales at provincial liquor outlets, even while any potential reduction of the tariffs on steel, aluminum, autos and lumber remained the subject of down-to-the-wire discussion. The reception for the idea from certain premiers ranged from chilled to muted. B.C. Premier David Eby, who was on vacation with poor cell reception and did not dial into the call with the Prime Minister, had not indicated whether his province would comply. Alberta and Saskatchewan had already dropped their bans on U.S. booze sales. Manitoba’s Wab Kinew, in scrappy comments to reporters in Winnipeg on Thursday, suggested he would consider the Prime Minister’s request, which he described as “a step before begging.” He encouraged consumers not to buy U.S.-made alcohol if it did return to shelves. He said he believed Canada should instead “keep fighting,” and that the unpopular Mr. Trump was “weak,” facing midterm elections in a few months. Quebec Premier Christine Fréchette said she could restore U.S. booze sales, but only if the deal turned out to be positive for Quebec. Saskatchewan Premier Scott Moe suggested the booze climbdown was needed for the talks to advance. And Newfoundland and Labrador Premier Tony Wakeham said on Thursday that all the premiers had agreed to stand down “as a sign of good faith.” Proposed U.S.-Canada trade deal would introduce steel quota with lower 25% tariff, sources say Mr. Ford has in the past called for tougher “dollar-for-dollar” responses to the U.S. tariffs hammering his province, home to most of the country’s auto industry. And the Ontario Premier presides over the Liquor Control Board of Ontario, which is one of the largest buyers of alcohol in the world and normally brings in nearly $1 billion worth of U.S. booze a year. But he has stood down on trade retaliation before, dropping a March 2025 surcharge on electricity exports to the U.S. just a day after its imposition had attracted the ire of Mr. Trump. Veteran trade lawyer Lawrence Herman, a senior fellow with the C.D. Howe Institute, said he predicts all the premiers will swallow their pride and restore U.S. booze to their liquor-store shelves. But Mr. Herman said the provinces’ booze bans may have indeed been useful at the bargaining table. “In some ways, that’s a strength on our side, because we can say, look, this deal isn’t going to get the provinces on side,” Mr. Herman said. “My sense is, if we have gone about as far as we can go on the tariff side, there is not much that can be done by holding out on alcohol.” Carlo Dade, director of the New North America Initiative at the University of Calgary’s school of public policy, argued that having the premiers back down and drop their booze bans is not much of a concession, as many Canadian consumers will likely keep away from U.S. products anyway. “It’s a bit of theatre with the Americans. It looks like we made a great concession. But…” U.S. alcohol could be coming back to Canadian shelves. Here’s what Globe readers had to say Prime Minister Mark Carney has asked Canadian premiers to restock American alcohol and end procurement policies that exclude United States companies on Thursday, in the midst of a tentative trade deal with the U.S. All provinces and territories except Alberta and Saskatchewan have maintained bans on the sale of U.S. liquor, and a number have imposed procurement restrictions in retaliation for U.S. President Donald Trump’s tariffs last year. The Globe asked our readers if they’d be buying U.S. liquor once it was on shelves in their local stores again. With over 1,700 responses in under 24 hours (one of our most popular callouts ever), and an overwhelming consensus to boycott, here’s what you had to say. Continuing the boycott: Until this whole mess is restored and Canadians are satisfied concerning future trade deals, American booze is a no-fly zone. Let me be clear: the Leafs will win the Cup before I ever buy any American booze. - Kerry Smith, Hoskin Township, Ont. An absolute no to any American-made product like wine or spirits and dairy. Our country may be forced to accept trading compromises to make a comprehensive trading pact with the U.S., but that does not mean that Canadian consumers have to accept any such deal. Canadian businesses deserve the support of Canadian consumers. - Marty Cross, Vancouver Island. You couldn’t force me to buy or drink US booze. I’d choke on it. - Lynne Thompkins, Fredericton. I am a dual citizen of Canada and Germany. I am not purchasing U.S. alcoholic beverages even though they can be purchased here. - Yanti Sutarno, Germany. Many argue that the people hurt by these boycotts are good, hard-working people, and that is likely true. However, we have only one way to express our resistance to American hostility, and that is financially. That is the only thing the American leadership cares about, the only thing they respond to. Their constant crying about the Canadian booze boycott shows us that clearly. - Casey Gaunt, Saskatoon. It would be like giving my ex-wife a bonus on her alimony for no reason. Sorry. Can’t do it. - Doug Reid, Kingston, Ont. Beyond the alcohol: I will absolutely still not be purchasing U.S. alcohol. I don’t miss it and there are other non-U.S. options out there. My purchasing choices aren’t just with alcohol. I will continue to avoid purchasing fruits and groceries from the U.S. as well. Wherever I can find non U.S. options, I will. - Anna Baker, B.C. We continue to boycott all American products in this family as much as possible. We live in a border town and no longer cross the bridge to Michigan where the smaller Sault Ste. Marie is hurting. We love Niagara wines, cider and produce. - Brenda and James Davies, Sault Ste. Marie, Ont. Just as many of us here are doing their best to not purchase U.S. broccoli, lettuce or fruits, I see no need to support U.S. alcohol. We are getting access to more Mexican produce at a better price! - Pamela Keating, Chester, N.S. We are boycotting nearly everything made in the U.S. We are not travelling to the States, not even for my husband’s 50th high school reunion this fall. - Nicole Narbonne, Powell River, B.C. I am boycotting. It is one of the ways we can make a difference. I’m a beer drinker, and even when I’m forced to travel for work, I’ll try to buy an import and spend as little as possible while I’m in the U.S. - Canadian premiers appear to back Carney’s decision to abandon ‘bad deal’ with United States After days of negotiations, Canada and the United States have failed to reach a trade agreement, with Prime Minister Mark Carney saying he was “walking away from a bad deal.” Premiers are standing by Carney’s decision, but are also bracing for job losses and calling for support. Touria Izri has the details. Canada’s premiers appear to be rallying behind Prime Minister Mark Carney’s decision to walk away from trade talks with the United States as 50 per cent tariffs hit billions of products across the country. After hope that a deal could be reached between Canada and the United States percolated, talks stalled and collapsed, escalating the trade war between the two countries. Tariffs of 50 per cent on billions of dollars in Canadian goods were levied by America on Saturday, while Canada has promised to hit back dollar by dollar next month. On Saturday afternoon, Carney briefed Canada’s premiers on the deal he had abandoned and tariff relief. “I’ve always said we need to fight these tariffs. Tariff to tariff, dollar to dollar,” Ontario Premier Doug Ford told reporters in Toronto. “I’m glad he didn’t sign that deal because it was a bad deal. It was a bad deal for Ontario. It was a bad deal for the auto sector, the steel sector and the manufacturing sector. We never started this fight, but I can assure you, we’re going to win this fight.” Manitoba Premier Wab Kinew agreed that Canada should adopt a harsh position on the United States. “History will not
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