Ontario Premier Doug Ford declared that American alcohol will not return to LCBO shelves until the United States removes its tariffs on Canadian goods — a flat rejection of mounting US pressure to lift a ban that has reshaped the province’s liquor market for more than a year.
The declaration came hours after US Trade Representative Jamieson Greer told a House Ways and Means Committee hearing that Washington is “kind of at the end of our rope in just asking for them to do this.” The US has formally flagged the alcohol ban as a trade irritant in ongoing CUSMA renewal negotiations.
Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick last year offered trade talks in exchange for Ford suspending a retaliatory electricity surcharge on Michigan, New York, and Minnesota. Ford suspended the surcharge. US tariffs escalated regardless.
Also read: Lutnick Vs. Canada: Senate Grills Commerce Secretary Over Fallout With Ottawa
“I just, I’m sorry folks, I don’t trust President Trump,” Ford said. “I get rid of the surcharge and what do they do? They double up on us. So I just do not trust them whatsoever.”
“We have to wait until USMCA is renewed,” Ford said, allowing that California wine could return once an agreement is signed.
The ban began in March 2025, when Ford ordered the LCBO to clear its shelves of all American products in response to Trump’s 25% tariffs on Canadian goods. The LCBO, one of the world’s largest alcohol purchasers, had been selling approximately $965 million worth of US alcohol annually — more than 3,600 products from 36 states.
Read: Doug Ford Vows to Axe American Booze from LCBO Shelves in Retaliation to Tariffs
Canadian producers have benefited significantly: Ontario Craft Wineries reported a 60% sales increase year over year, while Ontario wine sales overall climbed 67%. Local distilleries gained LCBO shelf space within weeks — a process that normally takes around a year. By March 2026, remaining American spirits were fetching premium prices in Toronto bars as supplies ran low.
On the same day, Prime Minister Mark Carney rejected a Radio-Canada report that the US is demanding an “entry fee” of concessions before CUSMA talks begin, saying Canada will not make further concessions ahead of negotiations.
Read: Canada Faces ‘Entry Fee’ Demand from U.S. Ahead of CUSMA Trade Talks
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