Liquor marts across Manitoba are pulling American alcohol off the shelves and will no longer sell U.S. products, premier Wab Kinew announced Sunday.
The move was expected to take an $80-million bite out of the U.S. economy, Kinew said, describing U.S. tariffs as a “unique threat to our economy.”
It’s part of Manitoba’s response to an unprecedented U.S. trade war resulting from American President Donald Trump’s tariffs on Canadian goods.
MIKAELA MACKENZIE / FREE PRESS FILES
Premier Wab Kinew addressed the public during a news conference Sunday afternoon, the day after U.S. President Donald Trump signed an executive order going ahead with tariffs on Canadian goods.
“We have to stand up for jobs in our province. We have to stand up for manufacturers, the ag industry, the energy industry, and everyone else that’s going to be threatened by these tariffs. And it’s very, very important that we stand up for ourselves not just as Manitobans, but also as Canadians,” Kinew said during a news conference at the provincial legislative building Sunday afternoon.
“Yes, this is a trade dispute, this is an economic threat, but we should also be very, very clear-eyed about the threat that this poses to our sovereignty as an independent country,” the premier said, saying Manitoba has already beefed up border security and cracked down on drug traffickers. Trump initially blamed his tariff plans on a lack of border security with Canada that allowed drugs and undocumented migrants to get to the U.S.
Kinew said he is not giving any directives to private retailers, but is encouraging Manitobans to shop local and rethink our cross-border shopping culture.
He said he’ll be announcing further steps in Manitoba’s response plans later this week and expects it to be a “multi-year situation.”
The ban on U.S. products at provincially-run liquor stores is set to start Tuesday, the day U.S. tariffs take effect, and Manitoba’s trade council will meet Monday with more announcements expected soon, the provincial government stated in a news release Sunday. Liquor Marts have been directed to stop ordering American products in addition to pulling existing product off shelves.
Other provinces, including Ontario, B.C. and Newfoundland, previously announced they’re pulling American products from provincially-run liquor stores as part of their retaliatory plans.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau held a news conference Saturday evening to announce Canada will respond with an immediate $30-billion retaliation package, which will be followed by $125 billion in duties on American products in 21 days to give companies and supply chains time to find alternatives.
Kinew indicated he is supporting Canada’s federal response plan in a social media post on Saturday night.
“It’s really important right now for all Canadians to stand together and for us to be united,” he wrote. “Manitoba fully supports the federal government’s response to these tariffs.”
As Trump continued to float tariff threats over the past few months, Manitoba set up a trade council and a tariff hotline.
— with Canadian Press files