Popular beers such as Budweiser and Coors Light are among the more than 50 American liquor products that will soon missing from store shelves in Saskatchewan.
Alana Ross, the minister responsible for the Saskatchewan Liquor and Gaming Authority (SLGA) confirmed the government’s decision on Thursday as the province hits back at the U.S. amidst the ongoing trade war.
“We made the decision to stop ordering those to have more of an impact and hopefully and shorten the amount of time we’re going to have to deal with these tariffs,” she told reporters, referring to the United States’ 10 per cent tariff on energy and 25 per cent on Canadian goods imposed earlier this month.
The move affects a total of 54 American branded products including Bud Light, Coors, Jack Daniels, Pabst Blue Ribbon and Twisted Teas. The full list can be found at the bottom of this article.
It was originally believed that some of the brands would remain on Saskatchewan shelves, since many of the listed brewers have manufacturing and bottling plants north of the border.
Ross explained by saying the measure was undertaken to target specific brands that are recognizable as American.
“What we did is we put together a list that showed all of the traditional American brands,” she said.
The SLGA acts as the province’s liquor wholesaler - meaning that private liquor stores purchase their products from the Crown corporation.
The LB Liquor Store, which hosts several locations in the province, took to social media to share the list on Thursday.
“We currently have stock of all affected products; however, we are unable to order more,” the store noted.
Ross added that while the government hopes for a quick resolution to the U.S./Canada trade war – Saskatchewan residents can always turn to buying local if the supply of American brands dry up.
“There’s many Canadian brands, there’s many Saskatchewan brands, and there is always [the] possibility of substituting the American brands with our locally produced brands of alcohol,” the minister added.
“Whether it’s beer, whether it’s spirits, whatever it is and our Canadian brands as well.”
