Canadians are drinking more local beer and wine during U.S. trade war, report suggests

A display of Ontario wine is pictured at the 100 Queen’s Quay East LCBO outlet in Toronto on Tuesday, March 4, 2025. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Laura Proctor

As trade tensions simmer between Ottawa and Washington, ‘Buy Canada’ sentiment has taken off across the country, and new data suggests Canadian wine and beer producers are reaping the benefits.

A report published last month from data research consultancy firm CGA, powered by consumer intelligence company NIQ, found that 37 per cent of respondents in a May survey said they purchased an alcoholic drink at a bar or restaurant in the past month from a Canadian brand they hadn’t tried before.

The most common reason given for the increase was to support local, according to the report, which included survey responses from individuals in Alberta, British Columbia, Ontario and Quebec.

The report found that 28 per cent of beer drinkers reported consuming more craft beer since U.S. President Donald Trump’s administration first imposed tariffs on Canadian products. Among them, 46 per cent said they did so to support local or Canadian brands.

When it comes to wine drinkers, 51 per cent reported drinking more Canadian wine than before tariffs were introduced. Overall, 57 per cent of wine consumers reported having tried a Canadian wine brand at a restaurant or bar at some point in 2025.

Survey participants were also asked what they’d like to see more of in national bar and restaurant chains, and the second most common response was the increased availability of Canadian beer, wine and spirits.

The consumer shift towards local and Canadian alcohol comes at the same time American products are less readily available in Canada.

Provinces across the country pulled American beer, wine and spirits from liquor store shelves earlier this year in response to Trump’s tariffs.

While some provinces have since rescinded that action, others including Ontario, whose liquor control board is one of the largest alcohol purchasers in the world, have not.

Methodology

CGA by NIQ surveyed 1,200 LDA On Premise consumers across four key provinces (Alberta, British Columbia, Ontario and Quebec).

Consumers had to have visited the On Premise in the past 3 months and be aged 19+. An equal number of respondents were collected from each province with each nationally representative on gender and age. Fieldwork was undertaken 2025/05/28 to 2025/05/30.