Ontario Premier Doug Ford threatened to instruct the LCBO to remove U.S. alcohol from their shelves in response to President Donald Trump’s 25% tariff threat on all Canadian goods.
Ford said he’ll “clear off every bit of US alcohol off the shelves” while speaking at the Rural Ontario Municipal Association’s annual general meeting in Toronto.
The Premier’s comments came just before President Trump was sworn into office and subsequently opted to put off applying tariffs on Canada until February 1. The 47th U.S. President’s tariff delay was seen by some as an indication that he’s willing to either negotiate his demands or offer Canada more time to meet his conditions that they tighten border security.
On top of linking border security as a condition to negate his impending tariffs, President Trump has claimed that the U.S. loses a significant amount of money to Canada and Mexico due to trade imbalances, suggesting that tariffs are an economic fairness measure.
On Tuesday, Ford stated that U.S. tariffs on Canada “would be devastating for both of our economies, hurting workers and businesses on both sides of the border.”
The Premier further promoted U.S. and Canada as economic allies, pitting China as their common enemy.
“Let’s beat China with Fortress Am-Can,” he said.
The LCBO, also known as the Liquor Control Board of Ontario, is a crown corporation owned by the Government of Ontario, and serves as one of the largest liquor retailers in the world with a revenue of over seven billion dollars.
Currently, Ford’s Progressive Conservative Party has a 96% chance of winning yet another majority according to polls.
