Overview
- Prime Minister Mark Carney has announced that Canada will lift retaliatory tariffs on USMCA-covered U.S. alcohol imports effective September 1.
- Premier Doug Ford said Ontario’s moratorium will remain until U.S. tariffs are removed or a new trade deal is signed, noting Ontario wine sales have risen about 67 percent.
- U.S. alcoholic products remain off shelves in multiple jurisdictions, including Ontario, Quebec, British Columbia, Manitoba, Atlantic Canada and the northern territories.
- The Distilled Spirits Council welcomed the federal move but urged provinces to restock, reporting a roughly 65–66 percent drop in U.S. spirits sales to Canada and noting some distilleries halted shipments.
- Quebec instructed its liquor board to donate expiring U.S. stock rather than discard it, while Ontario said only a small share of American inventory has reached expiry.