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The premier of Canada’s most populous province has ordered that American booze be taken from shelves in response to Donald Trump’s latest tariffs that will be imposed this week.
The Liquor Control Board of Ontario controls all alcohol sales to restaurants, bars and stores in the province. Ford has ordered that they have to stop selling American products to outlets.
“Every year, LCBO sells nearly $1 billion worth of American wine, beer, spirits and seltzers. Not anymore. There’s never been a better time to choose an amazing Ontario-made or Canadian-made product.,” Doug Ford wrote in a statement. The ban will begin on Tuesday.
Ford went on to say that stores will not be able to restock American alcohol products. Hours earlier, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau slapped tariffs of 25 percent on U.S. goods.
American alcohol accounts for $965 million worth of sales in Canada each year, reports CNBC. The U.S. sends more hard alcohol to Canada than any other country.
The Liquor Control Board of Ontario said in a statement to CNBC that the ban on all U.S. alcohol products is “indefinite.”
The board added that the measure is “part of Ontario’s response strategy to the imposed U.S. tariffs on Canadian goods.”
Nova Scotia Premier Tim Houston has said that his province will be following suit while British Columbia Premier David Eby has ordered that stores stop selling alcohol products from “red states.”
“The Americans are bigger, but if we don’t stand up for ourselves, they will just keep coming back for more,” Eby said.
Newfoundland and Labrador Premier Andrew Furey has also called on his province to stop selling American alcohol and is encouraging citizens to use Canadian products.
Quebec’s Finance Minister said in a statement via CBC that even though it may take some time to implement, his province will also ban American alcohol.
Economics professor Moshe Lander from Concordia University told CBC that he feels that booze ban is an overreaction.
“Why are we compounding a problem by removing the free will of people to choose what they do and don’t like?”
Lander pointed out that much of the American alcohol sold in Canada comes from states such as California, Oregon and Washington, which are solidly blue and have anti-Donald Trump leadership.
