Will American Booze Flow Back Into Ontario After PM Drops Tariffs? 🍷🍺

Good news, wine moms and craft-beer dads: Canada is loosening the tap on U.S. imports.

On Friday, Prime Minister Mark Carney announced that a hefty batch of retaliatory tariffs slapped on American goods under the U.S.-Mexico-Canada Trade Agreement is set to vanish next month. Translation?

Shelves could soon be a little fuller, and your liquor cabinet might get a glow-up.

But before you start chilling the champagne, not everything is duty-free.

Canada is still keeping 25% import taxes on U.S. steel, aluminum, and cars. Because apparently you can take away our affordable whiskey, but you’ll never take away our ability to overpay for a Ford F-150. 🇨🇦💪

RELATED: Celebrate Canada Day: Here’s Everything You Need To Know 

Why Booze Matters More Than Tires

Canada is actually the biggest buyer of U.S. wine. But thanks to the tariffs, sales have dropped a sobering 67% in the past year. That’s not just bad news for Napa Valley—it’s bad news for anyone who’s ever shown up at a cottage weekend with “Two-Buck Chuck” and called it a vibe.

The Distilled Spirits Council (yes, that’s a real group, not just your uncle in Muskoka) is thrilled, because this means we might soon see more American whiskey, rum, and tequila back on Canadian shelves. Although let’s be honest: we’ll still be mixing it with Canada Dry, because that’s the law.

What’s Off the Naughty List?

The tariffs are being dropped on a grab-bag of imports, ranging from useful to “wait, why was that even taxed in the first place?”

• The essentials: wine, beer, cider, whiskey, rum, gin, vodka, brandy, tequila (a.k.a. the entire LCBO summer aisle).
  
• Groceries galore: coffee, tea, cheese, ice cream, shrimp, spices, nuts, pasta, pastries, pizza, condiments, and bottled water. Basically, Costco might turn into Disney World.
  
• The randoms: horse saddles, protein powder, doll carriages, snow blowers, perfume, rubber boots. (So yes, you can now show up to a winter wedding smelling like Dior while riding a horse in ski boots, holding a box of Timbits.)

The Takeaway

If you’re in Ontario, don’t expect to see every American booze brand back on LCBO shelves right away—provincial rules can still get in the way. But it does mean more variety, potentially better prices, and maybe—just maybe—the end of awkwardly buying “Canadian Rye” when you really wanted a bottle of Kentucky bourbon.

So raise a glass (probably still overpriced, but less so) to tariffs being kicked to the curb. Cheers, eh! 🥂🍁