U.S. alcohol may go back on Manitoba shelves, but Kinew urges customers to buy Canadian

Manitoba Premier Wab Kinew isn’t committing to returning American alcohol to Manitoba shelves, in response to an ask from Prime Minister Mark Carney as Canadian and American officials close in on a trade deal.

Kinew saying he’s open to the idea if it will help secure a good deal for Canada, but he still has a message for customers.

“What I would say to Canadians is, leave it there,” said Kinew on Thursday. “If we put the booze back on the shelves, don’t buy it, let it sit on the shelf where the Liquor Mart employees will be putting it and buy the Canadian stuff instead.”

Kinew says he still wants to fight back against Donald Trump, and Manitoba would reserve the right to remove the products again.

Meanwhile, Martin Pacak, brand manager of Baltic Brothers at Capital K Distillery in Winnipeg, said their business has seen a major boost from “Buy Canadian” sentiment since the tariff threats began.

He wants to see Canada continue to fight for the industry, saying it could serve as useful leverage in future negotiations.

“To figure out that the alcohol, the American alcohol is something that sticks in their side, should give us some insight into how we should actually protect ourselves,” said Pacak.