Ontario, of the major cities in Canada will remove all American alcohol from its government-run liquor stores starting Tuesday in response to U.S. President Donald Trump’s 25% tariffs on Canadian imports.
The Liquor Control Board of Ontario will also eliminate U.S. products from its catalog, preventing other retailers from ordering or restocking these items, according to a statement from Premier Doug Ford on Sunday.
“Every year, LCBO sells nearly $1 billion worth of American wine, beer, spirits and seltzers. Not anymore,” Ford said. “There’s never been a better time to choose an amazing Ontario-made or Canadian-made product.”
This announcement came just hours after Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau imposed retaliatory tariffs of 25% on $155 billion worth of U.S. goods.
The LCBO is one of the largest alcohol wholesalers, selling over 1.1 billion liters of alcohol in Ontario in 2023.
According to the Observatory of Economic Complexity, Canada is a major importer of hard liquor from the U.S., with an estimated $320 million in sales.
As of October 2024, Canada is the U.S.’s second-largest export market for liquor, with a trade value of $25.9 million, according to the OEC.
LCBO in the statement confirmed it will stop selling U.S. alcohol products both online and in stores “indefinitely.”
