Canadian and U.S. officials are up against the clock trying to finalize a trade deal, but one crucial piece of the puzzle remains in the hands of the provinces — the question of whether U.S. alcohol could be back on Canada’s shelves.

For more than a year, Canadian consumers across the country have gotten used to not seeing any American alcohol on the shelves of their provincial liquor stores.

Provincial boycotts of American alcohol have been a major trade irritant for U.S. President Donald Trump, who pointed to what he called “discriminatory” measures when he announced fresh tariffs on Canada last month, which were delayed until Saturday while both sides work on a trade deal.

Several premiers, including Nova Scotia’s Tim Houston and Manitoba’s Wab Kinew, have said that Prime Minister Mark Carney has asked provinces to restock American alcohol on their shelves as Canada finalizes that new trade deal, which could see Canada avoid these tariffs.

Most Canadian provinces, except Alberta and Saskatchewan, now have no U.S. alcohol on their shelves.

Carney’s request to put it back on does not guarantee that Canadians will jump for U.S. liquor the moment it is back on the shelves, Houston said on Wednesday evening.

“Whether Nova Scotians or Canadians will actually buy it when it gets back on, that’s a whole other discussion,” he said.

Global News put that question to its readers.

“Will you keep up a boycott of American alcohol even if it returns to shelves near you?” they were asked to weigh in on a recent article.

These are some of your responses.

What readers told us

The vast majority of respondents said they would not be buying American liquors, even if their premiers put it back on the shelves.

However, some said their shift would not be permanent.

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“I will continue to boycott whatever American products that I can until Trump is gone. After that, it will depend on the political relationship between our countries,” said one reader, Darren O.

Another reader, Dana S, said her boycott of U.S. booze will continue “until the U.S. decides to renegotiate a new CUSMA deal.”

CUSMA is short for the Canada-U.S.-Mexico Agreement.

Many readers also said they would be boycotting all things American, including food products and travel.

“Not a chance. No to all things American until they start acting like an ally,” said Rich P.

“I won’t visit the U.S. until they return to sanity,” said Sean W.

For some readers, the move was tied directly to Trump and his Republican party.

“When I do start buying US products, it will be from states like California, not the states that support the Republicans,” Greg P wrote in.

Reader Wally M pointed to Trump’s “demeaning manner” towards Canada as being a key reason behind the boycott.

Others, like Terry T, said there was “no going back” to U.S. liquor, regardless of what trade deal is reached: “I will never buy US booze whether on the shelves or not.”

“I will definitely not be buying US alcohol again,” Janine O said.

“I’m not likely to ever buy another US product ever,” Mitzi B said.

The reasons for wanting to boycott U.S. liquor were different for different readers.

“Neither I nor my husband will be buying U.S. alcohol ever again. Our primary reason, however, is not to punish the United States but to support our own producers here in Canada,” Diana G said.

The ‘Buy Canadian’ sentiment emerged as a driving force among readers.

“I will not be buying American Alcohol or products and focus on supporting our local and Canadian economies,” said Bruno G.

Some readers who were interested in purchasing foreign liquor said they would look for non-U.S. foreign alcohol instead.

“I try to buy Canadian if available. If not, I look for non-US alternatives,” said Victor L.

Some users would prefer to buy non-U.S. alcohol but said cost would play a role in their decision.

“I will most probably abstain as much as possible from American products, alcohol included, provided that there are economically competitive substitute products from local or non-US international sources,” said William F.

There was, however, a minority of respondents who said they would resume buying U.S. alcohol.

The alcohol boycott “punished the U.S. businesses who were not the villains – from distilleries to distribution, but did nothing to deter Trump,” said Debbie B.

What the data says

The data points to Canadians souring on U.S. alcohol altogether.

Nearly seven in 10 (69 per cent) of Canadians in British Columbia, Ontario, Manitoba and the four Atlantic provinces said their provincial governments should keep the restrictions on American alcohol in place, new survey data released by Abacus Data revealed earlier this month.

Only 19 per cent want American products returned to store shelves, while 11 per cent are unsure, the survey of 1,363 adults added.

The provincial boycotts have caused significant economic pain for the U.S. alcohol industry.

From 2024 to 2026, there has been a 78 per cent drop in U.S. wine exports to Canada, marking a loss of US$357 million for the American wine industry, according to the Wine Institute, an American advocacy group for the wine industry.

Within a month of Canadian provinces announcing a ban on U.S. booze in 2025, sales of U.S. spirits in Canada fell by more than 66 per cent, according to the Distilled Spirits Council of the United States.