Jack Daniel

The owner of Brown-Forman, a maker of Jack Daniel, said the Canadian province pulls our alcohol out of store shelves “are worse than tariffs.”

Several provinces in Canada, including Ontario, the most populous to date, took action this week against U.S. tariffs on Canadian goods.

One of the world’s largest alcohol buyers, the Ontario Alcohol Control Board (LCBO), took out food drinks from shelves Tuesday.

Lawson Whitson, the boss of Brown format, said Canada’s response was “disproportionate” to the Trump administration’s tax on 25% of Canadian goods.

“I mean, it’s worse than the tariffs because it’s actually taking your sales away and removing our products completely from the shelves,” Mr Whiting said.

In response to tariffs, Canada retaliated against goods imported from the United States, including beer, spirits and wine.

Some provinces have also taken action, including Ontario and Nova Scotia.

Ontario Prime Minister Doug Ford said LCBO sells nearly $100 million in U.S. alcohol every year. “As of today, each of these products has no shelves,” Mr. Ford said Tuesday.

Mr Ford said LCBO is the exclusive wholesaler in Ontario, meaning other retailers, bars and restaurants in the province will no longer be able to restock.

Nevertheless, Mr Whiting said Canada accounts for only 1% of Brown’s total sales, so the company can take the hit.

LCBO recommends Canadians to buy products made in Canada. Anyway, some Canadians have been turning to local goods to deal with Trump’s tariffs.

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau criticized U.S. tariffs on Tuesday, saying it was “very stupid.”

He also accused the U.S. president of planning for “a complete collapse of the Canadian economy because it will make it easier for us to annex us.”

Trump has made many comments about making Canada the 51st state in his country, and Canadian Foreign Minister Mélanie Joly said she was “very serious”.

Washington also signed a 25% tariff on Mexico, although Trump said he would Canada and Mexico temporarily exempt automakers from taxes.

Trump accused Canada and Mexico of not doing enough to prevent fentanyl opioids from flowing into the United States, an argument that has been rejected by both countries.

Mr Whiting said Blangerman will see what’s going on in Mexico, which accounts for 7% of sales in 2024.