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The Manitoba government is instructing Manitoba Liquor and Lotteries (MBLL) to cease the sale of American alcohol in response to tariffs imposed by U.S. President Donald Trump. Premier Wab Kinew announced on Sunday that liquor marts throughout the province will remove American products from their shelves and halt placing new orders effective Tuesday, Feb. 4.
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“Trump’s tariff tax is an attack on Canadians,” Kinew said. “We support the federal response to these tariffs, and here in Manitoba, we’re stopping the sale of American products at Manitoba liquor marts. How you choose to spend your money is one of the most important decisions you as a consumer can make. There are plenty of great Manitoba breweries and distilleries to support instead.”
At the media conference, Kinew emphasized unity and the significance of purchasing Canadian products. I asked if he would consider removing the provincial sales tax (PST) on Canadian or Manitoba-made items to enhance their affordability.
“Well, it’s an interesting question. You can tell by my pause that it’s not necessarily something we’ve been entertaining,” Kinew said. “I think you’re going to see us incentivize shopping local and buying local over the course of this week. I also think that the impact of the tariffs and the effects that it has on currency is probably going to make Canadian goods attractive for people to buy as well, too.”
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He added that Manitoba must maintain financial stability to protect jobs and the economy. “We need to preserve our fiscal firepower to support our jobs and support our economy, and we’re going to need fiscal firepower over the next few years. We also have to keep an eye on being fiscally responsible because we know that over the medium term and over the long term, having a sustainable fiscal framework here in Manitoba is a really important part of how we support the economy and we protect your jobs as Manitobans.”
Canada and Mexico can challenge U.S. tariffs under World Trade Organization rules. I asked if Kinew would push the prime minister or other premiers to consider legal action.
“Yeah, I think that’s a topic of discussion. This is also a clear violation of the Canada-U.S.-Mexico Agreement, CUSMA, as it’s called south of the border, and so where we have legal recourse, I think, as a country, we should use those tools,” Kinew said. “But again, when our trading partner to the south, their president, orders them to take actions which clearly violate those agreements, I think at the very least, we need to be realistic and take steps to protect our economy with the understanding that even if those legal avenues might be successful in the future, that we need to keep people working and we need to keep paychecks hitting bank accounts each and every day, each and every week.”
Kinew stated that his government will introduce additional measures to support Manitoba businesses throughout the week. The Manitoba U.S. Trade Council will convene on Monday to discuss the economic impact of the tariffs and potential responses.
— Kevin Klein is a former Tory cabinet minister, a former city councillor and President & CEO of Klein Group Ltd.
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