Canada has hit back at the US decision to impose a 25 per cent tariff on goods from the country by pulling US-made liquor from its shelves. Canadian Prime Minister's counter-tariff worth $155 billion means that American liquor and wine may not be served in many provinces anymore.
With a day left for the Canadian counter-tariff to go into effect, premiers of many provinces issued directives of their own by announcing to pull a majority of US products from the shelves.
Ontario was one of the first to announce the decision after Premier Doug Ford said he instructed the Liquor Control Board of Ontario (LCBO) to pull US liquor from its shelves. "Every year, LCBO sells nearly $1 billion worth of American wine, beer, spirits and seltzers. Not anymore," Ford said in a statement. Ford also ordered the LCBO to remove American products from its catalogue so restaurants and retailers in Ontario cannot order or restock U.S. products.
British Columbia Premier David Eby followed suit and said the liquor distribution branch of the province would stop purchasing American liquor from Republican-led "red states" and remove the top-selling brands from public liquor store shelves, reported Global News. These include products under the brands of Jack Daniels, Bacardi Rum, Tito’s Vodka, Jim Beam, and Bulleit Bourbon.
Manitoba Premier Wab Kinew too declared that the Manitoba Liquor and Lotteries (MBLL) will stop the sale of American products in the province.
Though Quebec has not announced retaliatory measures on alcohol yet, Nova Scotia Premier Tim Houston said the Nova Scotia Liquor Corporation will remove all alcohol from the U.S. from shelves effective Feb. 4.
Meanwhile, Canada's imposition of tariffs on 1,256 products or 17% of all the products imported from the United States will affect products, including orange juice, peanut butter, wine, beer, motorcycles, cosmetics and more. Some of the big ones are cosmetics and body care, appliances and other household items, and pulp and paper products. The Canadian government will publish another list in three weeks that will include products such as passenger vehicles and trucks, including electric vehicles, steel and aluminium products, certain fruits and vegetables, and aerospace products, the government said in a statement.
