Alcohol sales are down this year in Canada amid persisting economic uncertainty and a collapse in imports of beer, wine and spirits from the U.S.
As U.S. President Donald Trump’s global trade war marches on, provincial boycotts of American alcohol have begun to reflect in sales figures — all amid a third financial crisis in five years for Canadian consumers.
The available data show declining sales for alcohol of all kinds this year, compared to the same time in 2024 — down more than $100 million across six provinces in the last quarter alone.
“The consumer is just feeling very fragile,” said CJ Hélie, president of Beer Canada, a trade association for beer makers, in a Thursday interview. “People are just pulling back on discretionary spending, and we’re seeing that big-time. Real softness in the market.”
With provincial retailers halting American alcohol purchases and pulling bottles from shelves earlier this year, Statistics Canada (StatCan) data show that in April, roughly $3 million in U.S. wine entered the country, down 94 per cent from $54 million for the same month in 2024.
“We are deeply concerned that U.S. tariffs on imported spirits from Canada and Mexico will significantly harm all three countries and lead to a cycle of retaliatory tariffs that negatively impacts our shared industry,” reads a joint statement from North American spirits industry groups on the eve of the trade war in February.
“Our industries have thrived due to the level playing field established across our borders.”
Leave a Reply