Doug Ford says he won’t back off U.S. alcohol ban at LCBO until new trade deal signed

American-made alcohol is pulled from LCBO shelves amid a trade war with the U.S. (LCBO Media Centre)

Premier Doug Ford said Wednesday he has no intention of putting U.S. liquor back on LCBO store shelves until there is a new trade deal in place between Canada and the United States.

“I’d do it in a heartbeat, folks,” Ford said in a fireside chat at an event arranged by The Globe and Mail Wednesday.

“But when he (U.S. President Donald Trump) is destroying our auto sector, putting in jeopardy tens of thousands of jobs… going after our steel sector, our aluminum sector, our lumber sector, our dairy sector, and he expects us to sit back and roll over? You never roll over to a bully. You confront him head on. One of our tools is alcohol.”

The LCBO is one of the largest purchasers of alcohol in the world. It was just over a year ago that Ford banished all U.S.-made alcohol products from LCBO shelves as Trump ramped up his attacks on Canada’s economy.

The ban has continued, with the province instead playing up locally-made products.

Meanwhile, as the Canada-U.S.-Mexico deal comes up for renewal, the U.S. has cited the alcohol ban as a trade irritant with Canada.

“Once we get the deal done, which I’m confident eventually we’ll get it done, then we’ll bring back maybe California red wine. You can sit down and have a glass of wine,” Ford said

On Wednesday U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer told a U.S. House Ways and Means Committee hearing that the U.S. administration is “kind of at the end of our rope in just asking for them to do this (lift the ban).”

He said federal officials had “passed the buck” to the provinces on the matter.

“My sense is there may have to be an enforcement action to deal with this issue on wine and spirits in Canada,” he added.

But Ford said Wednesday he has no plans to lift the ban without a clear deal in place.

“We have to wait until USMCA is renewed. I just, I’m sorry folks, I don’t trust President Trump,” Ford said.

He recalled that U.S. Secretary of Commerce Howard Lutnick last year promised to lift U.S. steel tariffs if Ford removed a retaliatory electricity surcharge on three U.S. states, only to reverse course later.

“I get rid of the surcharge and what do they do? They double up on us. So, you know, I just, I do not trust them whatsoever,” Ford said.

While Ford still maintained a good relationship with Lutnick, who he has often praised as a “smart businessman,” he said his impression is that the U.S. commerce secretary has “kind of been moved to the side a little bit.”

He added “he’s a smart business person, but he’s not directly deep involved; It’s Greer that’s driving the deal.”

The premier later repeated his comment in a post on X, saying “American alcohol will only go back on shelves when the U.S. removes its tariffs.”

With files from CTV News