Ontario Premier Doug Ford has warned that removing U.S. alcohol from the LCBO’s shelves will have a significant impact on American producers, but some industry representatives question whether this move will achieve its intended goal.
As part of Canada’s “first round of retaliation” against US President Donald Trump’s tariffs, Ontarians can no longer buy Californian wines and Kentucky bourbon. The Liquor Control Board of Ontario (LCBO) has announced it will replace these products with “suitable alternatives,” including Ontario and Canadian-made products.
However, Spirits Canada President and CEO Cal Bricker says that isolating an American company as a retaliatory measure may be challenging due to the nature of the spirits industry. He notes that many companies have operations in multiple countries, making it difficult to pinpoint specific targets for retaliation.
Bricker argues that this move will have severe impacts on the spirits industry across North America, due to an intertwined supply chain and trade protections. Canadian whiskey, American bourbon, and Mexican tequila are among the products affected by these tariffs and will now be shut out of certain markets.
The maker of Jack Daniel’s has described removing its products from store shelves as “worse than a tariff” and a “disproportionate response.” Despite this, Ford has vowed to keep Ontario’s retaliatory measures in place until the tariffs are dropped altogether.
Source: https://www.ctvnews.ca/toronto/article/how-does-removing-us-alcohol-off-lcbo-shelves-impact-the-spirits-industry-an-expert-weighs-in