The Ontario Liberals are advocating for the Doug Ford government to sell off the province's stockpile of American alcohol that is currently sitting in storage. According to Liberal parliamentary Leader John Fraser, the government should direct the Liquor Control Board of Ontario (LCBO) to sell this alcohol and donate the proceeds to charity.
In March, Premier Doug Ford made the decision to remove American alcohol from the shelves of the LCBO in response to tariffs imposed by U.S. President Donald Trump on Canadian goods. Fraser highlighted the situation, questioning, “Why don’t we just sell it off and use those profits and give it to food banks on behalf of all Ontarians?”
The government estimates that approximately $80 million worth of American alcohol is currently in storage, with about $2 million worth at risk of expiring in the next six months. As of now, the province has not eliminated the possibility of selling this stockpile. Emily Hogeveen, a spokeswoman for Finance Minister Peter Bethlenfalvy, stated, “U.S. alcohol will remain off shelves and is being held in storage until further notice. We are currently exploring options for the products.”
In light of similar decisions made by other provinces, Ontario's stance has drawn scrutiny. Most provinces have also implemented a ban on the import and sale of American alcohol. Alberta and Saskatchewan initially halted sales in March but later reversed their decisions. In contrast, Prince Edward Island announced that it would return U.S. alcohol to its liquor store shelves, with plans to divert the $600,000 profit towards food banks.
Furthermore, Newfoundland and Labrador declared its intention to sell its $3.2 million inventory of American alcohol and allocate approximately $1 million in profits to the Community Food Sharing Association, a charity that manages food distribution to about 60 food banks in St. John’s. Meanwhile, Nova Scotia has begun selling its $14 million stockpile, with an expected $4 million in donations to charity from these sales.
Manitoba has also initiated a limited-time sale of some of its American alcohol. Initially, the province projected to sell around $1 million worth, but private retailers, restaurants, lounges, and other businesses were quick to purchase nearly double that amount within the first four hours of the sale, prior to opening the sale to the general public.
The ongoing situation around the sale of American alcohol in Ontario and other provinces highlights the broader impacts of regulatory decisions and trade tensions between Canada and the United States. As Ontario Liberal leaders push for charitable contributions through the sale of U.S. alcohol, the response from the Ford government will be closely watched by both the public and other provincial governments considering similar measures.
