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In less than two weeks, the Canadian economy could get hit by a fresh round of sweeping tariffs from U.S. President Donald Trump, but despite the mounting threat, new data shows Canadians in seven provinces still don’t want U.S. alcohol back on the shelves.
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, a new survey data released by Abacus Data revealed on Thursday.
Only 19 per cent want American products returned to store shelves, while 11 per cent are unsure, the survey of 1,363 adults added.
Last month, Trump decided to impose 50 per cent tariffs on the vast majority of Canadian goods in response to “discriminatory” measures, including provincial boycotts of American booze. Those measures are set to go into effect on Aug. 19.
Trump signed three executive orders, each one using a different justification for the new tariff: the provincial and territorial boycotts on American alcohol products, Canada’s retaliatory tariffs on U.S.-made vehicles and auto parts and quotas on American dairy imports under Canada’s supply management system.
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In early 2025, several Canadian provinces removed U.S. alcohol from their shelves in response to Trump’s trade war and threats to make Canada the “51st state.”
“These results suggest provincial governments have considerable public room to keep American alcohol off their shelves,” said Abacus Data CEO David Coletto.
In British Columbia, an overwhelming 72 per cent said they want the ban to stay in place, Abacus Data said.
In Ontario and Atlantic Canada, that figure was at 69 per cent, while it was 63 per cent in Manitoba.
Opposition to U.S. booze was sharper among Canadians aged 60 and over at 78 per cent, compared to 60 per cent among those between the ages of 30 and 44.
Canadians are also split along political lines, with more than eight in 10 Canadians identifying as Liberal (83 per cent) and NDP (84 per cent) voters supporting the restrictions.
In contrast, 53 per cent of Canadians identifying as Conservative voters said they support the measures.
Overall, more than half (54 per cent) of Canadians want the restrictions to stay in place until the U.S. removes its tariffs, even if it results in further retaliation from the Trump administration.
Another 19 per cent said the restrictions should stay in place permanently. However, 19 per cent also said provinces should lift those restrictions to ease trade tensions and eight per cent were unsure.
“This is not simply about wine, beer or spirits. The results reflect a broader public instinct that Canada should not reward economic pressure with immediate concessions,” Coletto said.
Recent Ipsos polling conducted exclusively for Global News found that Canadian attitudes towards the U.S. have been souring further since the trade war.
Six in 10 Canadians (60 per cent) say they can never trust the Americans the same way ever again, the poll found.
The Ipsos poll found that 71 per cent Canadians feel that these Canada-U.S. disputes will continue for several years and are not going to be resolved soon.
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