If U.S. alcohol returns to stores, 'leave it there,' Manitoba leader says

Kinew says he does not think he will be happy with any deal, but he adds, "it is not about me, it is about Team Canada."

Manitoba's leader says he is cautiously open to putting American alcohol back on shelves as part of a possible trade deal, but he adds a suggestion – "Don't buy it."

Canadian and U.S. officials are working to finish a deal that would stop new U.S. taxes on almost $30 billion of Canadian goods. On Wednesday, Prime Minister Mark Carney and his team talked about the possible deal with his cabinet and the provincial leaders.

Kinew says Carney asked the provinces to bring American alcohol back to store shelves, but Manitoba has not agreed yet.

If the provinces bring U.S. products back to Liquor Marts as part of a possible trade deal, Kinew said Canadians still have the power to "leave it there."

"Don't buy it. Let it sit on the shelf … and buy the Canadian products instead," he told reporters at a noon‑time news conference in his office on Thursday.

"Let's send a message that … we do not like Donald Trump's way of trading or his treatment of Canada."

The province first removed millions of dollars worth of U.S.‑made alcohol in 2025 as a response to Trump's decision to put taxes on Canadian goods that did not follow the Canada‑U.S‑Mexico trade agreement.

Kinew: "We have not agreed to put American alcohol back on the shelves."

Manitobans stood in long lines to buy American liquor for a short time in December, after the province put some of its stock back on shelves before Christmas and sent $2.6 million in sales to holiday charities.

American wines and liqueurs that were set to expire this fall were also sold at Liquor Marts in May.

Manitobans chose local options even when U.S. alcohol was available, leading to a year‑over‑year sales increase of almost $21 million at the province's Liquor Marts, the province said in June.

Other Prairie provinces put U.S. alcohol back on shelves a long time ago.

Alberta removed U.S. alcohol from store shelves in March 2025 like the other provinces, but lifted the ban three months later. The government said at the time that selling products from south of the border again showed a "renewed commitment to open and fair trade."

Saskatchewan briefly banned U.S. alcohol in March 2025, but changed its mind two months later.

Carney also asked the premiers not to leave the United States out of their buying rules, Kinew said.

Manitoba's buying rules have preferred Canadian or non‑American sources since the trade fight began last year, which has caused an 82 percent drop in the province's spending on American firms, the leader said.

"That has had a huge impact," he said. "You can see why the Trump administration is coming to Canada and asking for a deal."

Manitoba's opposition leader says Kinew is not supporting local producers as much as he claims, saying the 82 percent figure was exaggerated, because the province signed a $36‑million contract with U.S.‑based Aramark food services in July 2025.

"The premier is still giving millions to American companies," Progressive Conservative Leader Obby Khan told CBC News.

'We should fight' U.S. taxes, says Manitoba leader

Kinew said Carney told the premiers that if U.S. alcohol does not return to shelves, there will be no trade deal with the Trump administration.

"I wouldn't say he was begging us, but what is a step before begging?"

While he is still waiting for details of the deal, including the exact type of taxes that may be placed on steel and aluminium, Kinew said he would like "the taxes to be zero."

He said support for workers, including at places like the Gerdau steel mill in Selkirk, Manitoba, will probably be needed for Manitoba to accept the terms.

He called Trump erratic, irresponsible and not trustworthy, questioning whether any deal would last.

"Who's to say it's not going to be undone?" Kinew said. "With that in mind, we keep the right to take the U.S. alcohol off the shelves again."

Premiers back Carney as trade fight with U.S. grows

He said Canada should fight for a better deal.

"I think Donald Trump is very weak. I think America is weaker in the world today than it was a year ago. He is about to lose badly in the midterms," he said.

"I think we have the advantage now. They are on the back foot. They are coming to us for a deal, so I think we should fight."

Kinew also said he does not expect to be happy with whatever deal is reached.

"But it is not about me, it is about Team Canada — what we have been saying for the past year and a half, since this tariff nonsense began."

A California winemaker and native of Winnipeg says Kinew should not treat all U.S. alcohol as the same.

"It is just nonsense because he does not separate where the alcohol comes from in the U.S.," Steve Matthiasson, owner of Matthiasson Wines in Napa, California, told CBC News on Thursday.

"The California winemakers are not the problem here. We are allies."

His business saw a 15‑20 percent drop in exports after Canadian provinces removed American products from shelves. The vineyard makes about 120,000 bottles of wine each year, selling them across the U.S. and in about two dozen other countries, Matthiasson said.

The trade fight has made it "extremely hard to plan" and has forced him to cut staff and delay improvements to his facilities, he said.

"It is incredibly frustrating and sad not to be able to export wine back to my home country," Matthiasson said. "As a Canadian, I deeply understand Canadians' frustration with this U.S. trade policy."

Most Canadians say they will not buy American alcohol if it becomes available again

Reactions were mixed when CBC News talked to people outside a Liquor Mart in Winnipeg's Osborne Village neighbourhood on Thursday.

Brian Mann says it is a "pretty smart move" for Carney to give in on American liquor.

"When you are dealing with a guy like Trump, you have to make some concessions," he told CBC News.

"Making that concession knowing that Canadians have their elbows up higher than the Gordie Howe bridge is probably a smart move. We are not going to buy it, most of us."

Mann did not pay much attention to where his purchases came from before the trade fight, but that has changed, and he says he supports Kinew's push to buy local.

"I will not even buy celery that comes from the United States."

Tobiah Markovitz, who grew up in Minnesota before moving to Manitoba, says many Minnesota businesses rely on trade with Canadian provinces.

"I definitely hope this means better things are coming for the relationship between the two sides because many people depend on both sides of the border working well together."

Jaydin Pommer says the lack of American products in Liquor Marts has helped local distilleries fill the gap.

"It has been really nice to see more local products appearing," she said.

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