SASKATOON — With trade tensions continuing between Canada and the United States, the Saskatchewan NDP is urging the provincial government to ban the entry of U.S.-made liquor and spirits. The party wants Saskatchewan to follow the decision of the country’s 11 other jurisdictions that pulled alcohol imported from south of the border in all government-run stores.
Manitoba Premier Wab Kinew has been one of the vocal provincial leaders in banning U.S.-made alcohol in liquor stores run by their government, a move that he sees as economic leverage in the latest round of tariffs imposed by the Trump administration on Canadian goods. He believes their move would cost US liquor producers tens of millions of dollars in annual revenues.
The Liquor Control Board of Ontario removed US alcohol products from its stores’ shelves, while the Société des alcools du Québec (Quebec Alcohol Corp., or Quebec Liquor Corp.) set aside millions of US products and opted to donate all of their expiring stocks to hospitality schools and charities rather than leaving them in their warehouses.
British Columbia, New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island, Newfoundland and Labrador, Yukon, Nunavut, and the Northwest Territories are the other jurisdictions in Canada that either stopped or restricted buying US alcoholic beverages under their respective Crown-operated distributors. Alberta and Saskatchewan boycotted US products last year, but resumed purchasing stocks later.
The provincial government, in a statement, said it is leaving the decision to local store owners whether to continue buying and selling products from U.S. liquor producers and distributors, remove American products from their shelves or increase the selection of products made by Saskatchewan brewers and distillers.
The Saskatchewan Liquor and Gaming Authority has ceased the operations of all government-operated liquor stores, closing down all of its public-run shops in early 2023. SLGA left the selling of alcohol, liquor, and other spirits to hundreds of privately owned stores, franchises and other permitted independent retailers.
“Liquor retailers in Saskatchewan are private businesses and are free to choose which products they wish to sell to consumers, and consumers are free to choose which products they wish to purchase. We are proud of Saskatchewan’s local producers and their quality products and would encourage consumers to choose Saskatchewan products when buying liquor,” said the government’s statement.
Local store owner Varun Patel, who took over the operations of Avalon Liquor Store, said their customers continue to support Canadian products in response to US tariffs, adding that demand is shifting away from U.S.-made alcohol. Last week, Trump announced his administration will impose 50 per cent tariffs on Canadian goods, which will take effect on Aug. 19.
Patel said that when the initial U.S. tariffs were introduced, customers actively sought out Canadian-made products. Although some shoppers later returned to their previous buying habits as trade tensions eased, he said recent tariff threats have once again strengthened support for Canadian goods, with their customers making sure the products they are buying are made locally.
"We're seeing a lot of decline in purchases of United States alcohol and wines, so that shows that people are standing behind Canadian and supporting Canadian products,” said Patel, adding that they put labels such as the Canadian flag on all Canada-made liquor, but retailers like him cannot simply remove U.S. liquor from their shelves overnight because they still have existing inventory.
"People are always supporting local and we have flags on our labels as well, which identifies which product is Canadian. They [customers] slowly and gradually stop purchases from the United States, and then allow us to sell whatever we have on the shelves. Once it's already sold, then we can stop selling products from the United States,” said Patel.
He added that the provincial government should gradually stop purchasing US products through SLGA, allowing stores to sell through their current stock before ending sales, where sales trends show a clear decline in sales and shift away from US products and toward Canadian alternatives, which saw an increase in purchases.
"In our store, you can see that we have lots of Saskatchewan products. I always support the local producers, especially from Saskatchewan. It will definitely help us to increase the sales of our products,” said Patel, who added that reducing US alcohol sales would likely benefit Saskatchewan producers rather than reduce overall liquor sales.
SLGA Shadow Minister Don McBean said Saskatchewan should join other provinces in removing American alcohol from store shelves as a response to U.S. tariffs and to support Canadian workers and businesses, arguing that the issue is about standing with Canada during an economic dispute rather than partisan politics.
“It is so disappointing to see these unjust tariffs once again wreaking havoc on Canada’s economy, but what is even more disappointing is to see our own premier have such a meek response to this situation. We see provincial leadership across this country ready to fight for Canada, meanwhile, Moe and his pal Danielle Smith won’t even remove American booze from the shelves,” said McBean.
