U.S. alcohol will remain off LCBO shelves despite latest Trump comments, Doug Ford says

Ontario Premier Doug Ford takes aim at  the ‘unfair tariffs’ during a press conference where he spoke confidently about the eventual opening of the bridge.

Ontario Premier Doug Ford says American liquor will remain off LCBO shelves, despite social media comments made by U.S. President Donald Trump taking issue with the measure.

“It’s obviously working; it’s an irritant, but there’s one thing President Trump can do: get rid of Canadian tariffs,” Ford told reporters at Queen’s Park on Tuesday when asked to respond to Trump’s Monday post on Truth Social, where he mentioned the liquor ban.

“Get rid of it, and we’re good to go.”

Ford ordered the LCBO to remove all American alcohol last year in response to the tariffs imposed by the U.S. on Canadian products.

In his post on Truth Social, Trump threatened to block the opening of the Gordie Howe International Bridge between Windsor, Ont. and Detroit unless the U.S. is “fully compensated for everything.”

He stated that the U.S. should own “at least one half” of the bridge because “the revenues generated because of the U.S. Market will be astronomical.”

“What does the United States of America get — Absolutely NOTHING! Ontario won’t even put U.S. spirits, beverages, and other alcoholic products, on their shelves,” the U.S. president said.

When asked whether the U.S. president’s comments would push him to remove the alcohol ban, the premier said he is not backing off.

“I encourage people not to back off. This is key that we even double down if we have to. We’re the largest purchaser of alcohol in the entire world and that’s one of our key negotiating areas that we can resolve within a minute. All President Trump has to do is get rid of the unfair tariffs he’s putting on,” Ford said.

Ford confident Windsor-Detroit bridge will open

As for Trump’s threat to block the opening of the bridge, the premier expressed confidence that it will open as scheduled.

“I’ll tell you the reason why it’s going to open because it’s in the best interest of the American economy,” Ford said, pointing out that Trump supported the project during his first term.

Canada is paying the full upfront cost of the bridge under the 2012 Crossing Agreement, which also states that it will be publicly owned by Canada and Michigan.

The American state will also be eligible to receive 50 per cent of net toll revenues once Canada’s costs have been recovered, the provincial government said.

“Let’s not waver. Let’s not buckle to President Trump’s threats. Let’s be strong, as we have been let’s continue to be strong, negotiate through strength not weakness and we need to move forward,” Ford added.

“I think the president has to realize if he doesn’t, the midterms aren’t going to turn out too well for him.”

Ford said he was happy to hear that Prime Minister Mark Carney spoke to Trump on Tuesday.

Carney told reporters on Parliament Hill that the situation will be resolved.

“I explained that Canada, of course, paid for the construction of the bridge, over $4 billion, that the ownership is shared between the state of Michigan and the Government of Canada, and that in the construction of the bridge, obviously there’s Canadian steel, Canadian workers, but also U.S. steel, U.S. workers that are involved, (and) this is a great example of co-operation between our countries,” Carney said.

Appearing on ABC News Live on Tuesday afternoon, Ford reiterated his confidence that the bridge will open as scheduled, despite Trump’s threat.

“I find it ironic what President Trump is saying. When he was president in 2017, he ordered to fast-track the project,” Ford told anchor Kyra Phillips, pointing out the fact that even though the project was funded by Canada, the construction saw the use of American steel and concrete.

“We’re going to move forward, and I’m very confident it’s going to be open. If not, it’s going to hurt Michigan, it’s going to hurt their economy and the rest of the country,” he added.

When asked what he thinks Trump wants out of this, the premier admitted he didn’t know.

But Ford added that he “wouldn’t be playing these games,” given that all of Michigan’s seats in the House of Representatives are up for election in the U.S. midterms in November, seven of which are Republican.

“Just imagine if President Trump didn’t talk about this rhetoric, we’d be just thriving,” he said.

“There’s a lot of uncertainty in the U.S. There’s uncertainty in Canada. So, let’s come together and continue with our fantastic relationship we’ve had for 200 years.“I’m still confident he’ll come to his senses and understand this is beneficial, especially for people in the U.S. and the economy in Michigan,” Ford added.

With files from CTV News’ Spencer Van Dyk