American alcohol could be back on Canadian shelves if a trade deal with the United States is reached, but it doesn’t necessarily mean Canadians will be rushing to buy it.
Provincial boycotts of American alcohol have been a major trade irritant for U.S. President Donald Trump, who pointed to what he called “discriminatory” measures when he announced fresh tariffs on Canada last month, which were delayed until Saturday while both sides work on a trade deal.
Several premiers, including Nova Scotia’s Tim Houston, have said that Prime Minister Mark Carney has asked provinces to restock American alcohol on their shelves as Canada finalizes that new trade deal, which could see Canada avoid these tariffs.
When the Trump administration hit vast sections of the Canadian economy with tariffs in 2025 amid threats of annexation to make Canada the “51st state,” several Canadian provinces removed U.S. alcohol from their shelves.
Most Canadian provinces, except Alberta and Saskatchewan, now have no U.S. alcohol on their shelves.
Carney’s request to put it back on does not guarantee that Canadians will jump for U.S. liquor the moment it is back on the shelves, Houston said on Wednesday evening.
“Whether Nova Scotians or Canadians will actually buy it when it gets back on, that’s a whole other discussion,” he said.
The data points to Canadians souring on U.S. booze altogether.
Nearly seven in 10 (69 per cent) of Canadians in British Columbia, Ontario, Manitoba and the four Atlantic provinces said their provincial governments should keep the restrictions on American alcohol in place, new survey data released by Abacus Data revealed earlier this month.
Only 19 per cent want American products returned to store shelves, while 11 per cent are unsure, the survey of 1,363 adults added.
Canadian attitudes towards U.S. alcohol are tied to the Trump administration, retail analyst Bruce Winder said.
Even in the two provinces that still have U.S. alcohol on their shelves, sales have been slowing, Winder said.
“It really depends on what kind of deal the government secures with the administration,” he said.
“If they perceive the deal to be not as great, they might continue to just not buy U.S. alcohol from the shelves.”
The 18 months without U.S. booze on the shelves have given Canadians a chance to discover Canadian alcohol, said Dan Paszkowski, president and CEO of Wine Growers Canada.
