Ontario’s finance minister says that U.S. booze will only return to LCBO shelves if the tariffs placed on Canadian goods by U.S. President Donald Trump are removed, telling reporters at a news conference on Wednesday that the province’s resolve on the matter remains “firm.” Peter Bethlenfalvy made the remarks when asked whether Ontario had any plans for the U.S. alcohol that was pulled from LCBO shelves in March, 2025 at the onset of the trade war. CTV News reported last month that Ontario has already spent nearly $8 million storing the U.S. alcohol and that about three per cent of it – approximately $2.6 million worth – had spoiled as of this spring. “The plan is come to the table, let’s get a trade deal done and then we will talk about the alcohol,” Bethlenfalvy said. “Make no mistake our resolve is firm that any sort of move on alcohol is paired with landing a deal with the United States.” Bethlenfalvy’s remarks on Wednesday come ahead of new tariffs that are expected to take effect on Aug. 19 on a wide variety of Canadian goods. Officials in the U.S. have cited unfair trade practices, including provincial bans on U.S. booze, as justification for the move. In an interview with Newstalk 1010 earlier this week, a University of Toronto economics professor suggested that the ban on U.S. alcohol has done “nothing to move the needle on tariffs” and may have even given Trump a “legal pretext under U.S. law for levying additional tariffs.” “The only evidence that I see is that we are further behind than the closest comparable, which is Mexico. Mexico is at the table, negotiating with the United States… we are not,” Joseph Steinberg said.
