Manitoba government has no plan to lift ban on U.S. alcohol sales: Premier Kinew

A sign is placed in front of the American whiskey section at a B.C. liquor store after top-selling American products were being removed from shelves in Vancouver, B.C., on Sunday, Feb. 2, 2025. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Ethan Cairns

WINNIPEG — Manitoba residents looking to buy a bottle of their favourite American-made liquor will have to keep searching.

Premier Wab Kinew says his province has no plan to ease its ban on the sale of American alcohol.

Several provinces, including Manitoba, pulled American booze from shelves in response to tariffs imposed on Canadian goods by U.S. President Donald Trump.

Nova Scotia announced earlier this week it would sell off its remaining stock of U.S. liquor beginning Monday and donate the proceeds to charity food organizations.

Kinew says it “makes sense” for the province to consider a similar approach.

He says the prohibition hasn’t gone unnoticed by the Trump administration, and keeping American booze off shelves could convince the president to back off on tariffs.

“This is one of the tools that we’ve used that’s actually gotten the attention of the Trump administration,” Kinew told a news conference Friday. “So in order to push back against Donald Trump’s tariffs, keeping the American booze off the shelves is good.”

— By Aaron Sousa in Edmonton