Provinces to introduce direct

Provinces to introduce direct-to-consumer sales for Canadian alcohol

Canadian alcohol industry has long advocated for removal of barriers that block interprovincial trade

Provinces across Canada will introduce direct-to-consumer alcohol sales — a step forward in breaking down interprovincial trade barriers that prevent the free movement of alcohol across Canada.

Under a new deal, nine premiers say they are updating rules to allow more Canadian brewers and distillers to sell alcohol directly to Canadian consumers outside of their home provinces.

The push is part of a larger effort to address interprovincial trade barriers across Canada and would lift barriers that make it more difficult or costly for manufacturers to sell alcohol outside their home provinces.

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New Brunswick Premier Susan Holt said the initiative is about "getting products to Canadian consumers, who want to buy Canadian now more than ever."

Some jurisdictions such as New Brunswick and Manitoba have already reached deals to permit more interprovincial sales of certain types of alcohol. But Holt noted that timing varies from province to province because their laws differ.

Still, all the provinces and the Yukon signed a memorandum last year committing to open their borders to direct consumer sales by May 2026.

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In a statement, the premiers said that Quebec and Yukon were aiming to sign on to the agreement in the near future, while B.C. said it would allow companies to sell directly to consumers by February 2027.

Tuesday's news follows U.S. President Donald Trump's latest tariff threat, which would slap 50 per cent tariffs on Canadian-produced alcohol. The threat prompted local alcohol producers to yet again speak out against the interprovincial trade barriers that have long prevent the free movement of alcohol across Canada.

By opening provincial borders, they say, provinces could offset the losses that small businesses will likely incur as the U.S. market becomes increasingly unstable and unprofitable.

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"I know for a fact that there are other local distillers in the Edmonton area who have spent a tremendous amount of time, effort and money in marketing and entering the U.S.," Gurpreet Ranu, owner of Anohka Distillery, told CBC's Edmonton AM.

"And they've actually expanded quite a lot in the U.S. and I think it's going to be extremely challenging for them."

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Even if Trump's latest tariff threat doesn't materialize, the instability and uncertainty is enough to hamstring Canadian alcohol producers.

"There's no importer in their right mind who would continue to push a Canadian product when there's this risk of tariffs looming over the product," said Ranu.

Anya Zoledziowski is a Peabody-winning multimedia journalist from Edmonton who's covered social and climate justice, Indigenous affairs, gender, politics and more, and has been recognized by several national and international awards. She’s currently pursuing her PhD in journalism studies.

With files from The Canadian Press