Sales of U.S. spirits in Canada plunge 66%, industry groups say
The spirits industry says Canada's response to the U.S.-instigated trade war has led to sharply lower sales of booze from the U.S., as well as lower sales overall.
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In a joint release, Spirits Canada and the Distilled Spirits Council of the United States says U.S. hard alcohol sales dropped 66 per cent in the March 5 to April 31 period compared with a year earlier.
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It says that sales of Canadian and imported spirits were also down, leading to a 12.8 per cent total decline in spirit sales for the nearly two-month stretch compared with last year.
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The statistics come as several Canadian premiers stand firm on buy Canadian, and push back against comments made by U.S. ambassador to Canada Pete Hoekstra who told a conference Monday that U.S. President Donald Trump thinks Canada is 'nasty' to deal with, in part because of bans on American alcohol.
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Several provinces removed U.S. alcohol from shelves as Trump imposed tariffs and threatened to annex Canada, helping lead to the sharp drop in sales from the country.
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B.C. Premier David Eby said Hoekstra's remarks show Canadians' efforts to stand up to Trump are 'having an impact,' and he encouraged people to 'keep it up.'
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Toronto Sun
12 minutes ago
- Toronto Sun
Canada's economy is showing 'resilience' against U.S. tariffs. Why?
SHAPIRO: Railing against cleavage is the sign of a bored country Hilary Weston, fashion model and former Ontario Lieutenant Governor, dead at 83 SEX FILES: How saliva became the latest sexy taboo Popular `80s actor Loni Anderson of the hit TV series 'WKRP in Cincinnati' has died Canada's economy is showing 'resilience' against U.S. tariffs. Why? Photo by Rob Gurdebeke / THE CANADIAN PRESS Article content OTTAWA — 'Some resilience' — those were the two words Bank of Canada governor Tiff Macklem used last week to describe how the Canadian economy is holding up under the weight of U.S. tariffs. Advertisement 2 Story continues below This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. THIS CONTENT IS RESERVED FOR SUBSCRIBERS ONLY Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Unlimited online access to articles from across Canada with one account. Get exclusive access to the Toronto Sun ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment on. Enjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalists. Support local journalists and the next generation of journalists. Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword. SUBSCRIBE TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Unlimited online access to articles from across Canada with one account. Get exclusive access to the Toronto Sun ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment on. Enjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalists. Support local journalists and the next generation of journalists. Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword. REGISTER / SIGN IN TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account. Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments. Enjoy additional articles per month. Get email updates from your favourite authors. THIS ARTICLE IS FREE TO READ REGISTER TO UNLOCK. Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments Enjoy additional articles per month Get email updates from your favourite authors Don't have an account? Create Account or Sign in without password View more offers Article content Just a few days later, U.S. President Donald Trump added 35 per cent tariffs on Canadian goods to a running tally that includes hefty duties on steel, aluminum, automobiles and, more recently, semi-finished copper. Article content tap here to see other videos from our team. Try refreshing your browser, or Canada's economy is showing 'resilience' against U.S. tariffs. Why? Back to video tap here to see other videos from our team. Try refreshing your browser, or Play Video Article content With tariffs piling up over the past few months, economists say Canada's economy is starting to show cracks — but few signs of collapse. TD Bank economist Marc Ercolao conceded it's a 'bit of surprise' to see the economy holding up against a massive disruption from Canada's largest trading partner. 'Many months ago, ourselves — as well as other economic forecasters — had an outlook for a much weaker Canadian economy. Obviously, that isn't manifesting now,' he said in an interview. 'We are avoiding the worst-case scenario.' Advertisement 3 Story continues below This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. Article content On Thursday, Statistics Canada gave a glimpse at how the economy wrapped up the second quarter of the year when many of those tariffs came into full effect. While the agency sees a couple of small contractions in real gross domestic product by industry in April and May, its flash estimates show the economy rebounding somewhat in June. If those early readings pan out, StatCan said that would be good enough for flat growth overall on the quarter. Some of those results are distorted by volatility _ businesses rushing to get ahead of tariffs boosted activity in the first quarter, and that's giving way to weakness in the second quarter, for example. It's still hard to pinpoint exact impacts tied to tariffs, Ercolao said, but a broad trend is emerging. Your Midday Sun Your noon-hour look at what's happening in Toronto and beyond. There was an error, please provide a valid email address. Sign Up By signing up you consent to receive the above newsletter from Postmedia Network Inc. Thanks for signing up! A welcome email is on its way. If you don't see it, please check your junk folder. The next issue of Your Midday Sun will soon be in your inbox. Please try again Article content Advertisement 4 Story continues below This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. Article content 'What we can say over the last six months or so is that economic activity is somewhat flatlining,' he said. tap here to see other videos from our team. Try refreshing your browser, or Play Video Services sectors are holding up relatively well, but Ercolao said export-heavy industries such as manufacturing and transportation are bearing the brunt of the impact. In an attempt to shore up some of that weakness, the federal government has announced various programs to support tariff-affected workers and broader plans to accelerate defence and infrastructure spending. Macklem noted during his press conference Wednesday that business and consumer confidence are still low, but have improved according to the central bank's recent surveys. And while some trade-exposed sectors have faced job losses and the unemployment has generally trended upward to nearly seven per cent, employers elsewhere in the economy continue to expand their payrolls. Advertisement 5 Story continues below This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. Article content 'Consumption is still growing,' Macklem said. 'It's growing modestly. It's certainly being restrained by the uncertainty caused by tariffs. But it is growing and we expect that to continue through the third and fourth quarters.' Last week the Bank of Canada kept its policy interest rate unchanged at 2.75 per cent in a third consecutive decision. If the central bank were panicked about the Canadian economy's ability to withstand U.S. tariffs, Ercolao argued it would likely have lowered that rate. The past week's GDP readings were good enough for BMO to raise its outlook for the third quarter into positive territory. Forecasters at the bank now expect Canada will avoid a technical recession this year. BMO chief economist Doug Porter said in a note to clients Friday that Ottawa's personal tax cut at the start of the month and robust demand for domestic travel amid the trade war will boost the economy this quarter, as will 'the less-dire sentiment' around economic forecasts. Advertisement 6 Story continues below This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. Article content Some other forecasters continue to pencil a tariff-induced recession into their outlooks. In the Bank of Canada's monetary policy report released alongside the rate decision, it outlined one scenario for the economy assuming the tariff situation remains largely status quo. Canada avoids a recession in that outcome. Growth in 2025 and 2026 remains overall positive, but half a percentage point lower than it would've been without the weight of tariffs. Macklem told reporters that the Bank of Canada would expect the economy to keep growing even with today's tariffs in place, 'but it'll be on a permanently lower path.' 'Unfortunately, the sad reality is that tariffs mean the economy is going to work less efficiently,' he said. Advertisement 7 Story continues below This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. Article content Porter said in his note that the actual impact of Trump's new 35 per cent tariff on Canada's economy could be less than headline figure suggests. Because of a carve-out for Canadian exports that are compliant with CUSMA, BMO sees the effective U.S. tariff rate at roughly seven per cent under the new duties, less than a percentage point higher than where it stood before Friday. But with CUSMA up for renegotiation in 2026, Porter said that 35 per cent tariff rate could loom as a 'cudgel' over negotiations — taking full effect if the trade agreement expires without a new deal in place. The Bank of Canada published a separate 'escalation' scenario this week that would see the United States remove Canada's CUSMA exemption as it ramps up global tariffs. Advertisement 8 Story continues below This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. Article content Share this article in your social network Read Next
Toronto Sun
12 minutes ago
- Toronto Sun
As premiers push for more immigration power, experts call for a fact-based debate
Published Aug 04, 2025 • Last updated 0 minutes ago • 4 minute read People hold Canadian flags at an immigration ceremony in Toronto. Photo by JACK BOLAND / TORONTO SUN OTTAWA — Some premiers say they want to have more local control over the immigration system — but experts say what the system really needs is a national conversation on immigration reform that shores up public support. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. THIS CONTENT IS RESERVED FOR SUBSCRIBERS ONLY Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Unlimited online access to articles from across Canada with one account. Get exclusive access to the Toronto Sun ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment on. Enjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalists. Support local journalists and the next generation of journalists. Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword. SUBSCRIBE TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Unlimited online access to articles from across Canada with one account. Get exclusive access to the Toronto Sun ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment on. Enjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalists. Support local journalists and the next generation of journalists. Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword. REGISTER / SIGN IN TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account. Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments. Enjoy additional articles per month. Get email updates from your favourite authors. THIS ARTICLE IS FREE TO READ REGISTER TO UNLOCK. Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments Enjoy additional articles per month Get email updates from your favourite authors Don't have an account? Create Account 'Most of the existing policies have been formulated on the fly without any evidence or serious impact evaluations of what the various classes of immigrants are, how they're performing economically and otherwise,' said Michael Trebilcock, a retired academic and co-author of two books on immigration policy. 'So it's basically research-free.' As the premiers and territorial leaders were wrapping up their three-day meeting in Huntsville, Ont., late last month, they called for an increase to economic immigration levels to fill local labour gaps and said they would use their constitutional powers to seize more control over immigration and issue work permits. Ontario Premier Doug Ford later walked back his vow to issue work permits to asylum seekers. Your noon-hour look at what's happening in Toronto and beyond. By signing up you consent to receive the above newsletter from Postmedia Network Inc. Please try again This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. 'Do I want the whole immigration system on the shoulder of the province? No. Would I like to be treated the same way as Quebec? Yes, and so would every other province and territory,' Ford said last Monday. Quebec has its own distinct immigration system through an agreement with the federal government. The province is able to choose who can immigrate to Quebec based on its own criteria, with French language skills being a significant factor. David Piccini, Ontario's immigration minister, said last Monday that the province also wants to see more financial support from Ottawa to help pay for social services strained by a high number of asylum seekers landing in Ontario. Ninette Kelley, a former United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees official and a former member of Canada's Immigration and Refugee Board, said that provincial control over immigration has grown significantly over the last two decades. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. 'They know what their provinces need today, and they want to make sure they get the labour in that is required to meet those demands,' she said. 'But at the same time, there's been absolutely no evaluation that I can see of how those programs are implemented or what effect they're having.' Trebilcock said the premiers' concerns need to be taken seriously because increased immigration boosts demand for health care and other provincial services. He said that it's 'disturbing' to see Canadians' support for immigration decline in multiple public opinion polls. He said current immigration policies lack broad support and he believes a comprehensive, public review is needed to rebuild that support through evidence-based policies. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. 'What we see at present is often piecemeal, on-the-fly changes in reaction to particular concerns that have surfaced in the media … international students, temporary foreign workers,' he said. Kelley said that, instead of a multi-year exercise like a national inquiry, a top-to-bottom immigration system review could be conducted quickly with 'the right people at the table.' Saskatchewan Immigration Minister Jim Reiter told The Canadian Press that he and the other subnational immigration ministers have told Ottawa they want to be seen more as partners in immigration, not stakeholders. 'We need more influence in the decision-making of this because so much of the economic stream needs to be targeted depending on the specific needs of each province,' Reiter said. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. The federal government last year slashed the number of slots in the Provincial Nominee Program from 110,000 to 55,000 as part of broader efforts to rein in immigration. The program allows provinces and territories to nominate individuals for permanent residence based on their skills and ability to contribute to the economy. Each province and territory has its own set of program streams targeting different types of immigrants based on factors like skills or business experience. Reiter said provincial immigration ministers want to see the Provincial Nominee Program return to its previous levels. He said that while he understands the need to reduce the number of temporary visas, that shouldn't come at the expense of economic immigrants. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. 'We've had to restrict (the Saskatchewan Immigrant Nominee Program) down to three streams now to a large degree because we just don't have enough spots anymore,' Reiter said. Reiter said that of the 3,600 spots Saskatchewan has for its immigrant nominee program, three-quarters have to go to temporary workers, so the province is prioritizing nominees who work in health care and skilled trades. 'We've got the largest potash mine in the world being built … just outside of Saskatoon and that company, BHP, every time we meet with them they raise the issue that skilled trades are an issue. So this is having a detrimental effect on economic growth,' he said. Trebilcock said that if provinces are focused on using immigration to strengthen their local labour markets, steps could be taken to make it easier to recognize immigrants' foreign credentials in fields like law and medicine. With federal immigration decisions having provincial consequences, Kelley said, running an effective immigration system requires close collaboration between all levels of government. 'So that speaks to the need for really tight co-operation between the federal government and the provincial government and municipalities, both in the setting of levels and in the housing and medical policies that are currently in place so that we can accommodate those who we're letting in,' she said. Sunshine Girls Celebrity Sex Files Columnists Canada
Winnipeg Free Press
12 minutes ago
- Winnipeg Free Press
Democratic governors may offer a path forward for a party out of power in Washington
ATLANTA (AP) — Anderson Clayton wanted a headline name to speak at North Carolina Democrats' summer gala — but the state party chair bypassed familiar Capitol Hill figures, looking instead to Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker. She described him as 'a real fighter' against President Donald Trump, someone who gets things done because he actually controls levers of government — unlike any Democrat in Washington. 'I wanted people to hear from one of the Democratic governors who has defended their state, who could look at the president and say, 'I'm in a position of power right now just like you are, and I'm doing good things,'' Clayton said. Indeed, some Democratic activists see the party's 23 governors as their best answer to Trump's second Republican presidency. Those statehouse chiefs provide proof voters will embrace alternatives — and could give them a roadmap for the 2026 midterms, when Democrats hope at least to reclaim a U.S. House majority. They also will likely be central to the party's hopes in the 2028 presidential race. There is no question Democrats are down at the federal level. Republicans control the White House, the House and the Senate, allowing Trump to pursue an aggressive agenda. The party lacks a singular leader, and recent polling shows Democratic voters are deeply pessimistic about their party's future. Yet many governors reject the narrative that Democrats are reeling. Maryland Gov. Wes Moore, a 46-year-old first-term executive, points to his work on economic development, job growth and reducing crime. 'Who was the leader of the Civil Rights Movement? I mean, there were multiple people who had leadership roles,' Moore said. 'I mean, if you want to see … the direction that people should be going, show me a place that's delivering results.' 'You have to deliver for people' U.S. Rep. Mikie Sherrill, D-New Jersey, has been in congressional majorities and in the minority. Now she's the Democratic nominee for governor in one of two 2025 governor's races. Her former House colleague Abigail Spanberger is the Democratic nominee in Virginia. 'I can tell you what attracted me to run for governor is that there's no ability to blame anything on anybody else,' Sherrill said. 'You have a vision as governor, and you have to deliver for people.' Emily's List President Jessica Mackler, whose organization backs Democratic women for public office, praised Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, a possible 2028 presidential contender, and Arizona Gov. Katie Hobbs, who is seeking reelection in 2026, for canceling some medical debts. Pritzker secured a $15 per hour state minimum wage. In Kansas, Democratic Governors Association chair and two-term Gov. Laura Kelly worked with Republican legislative majorities to reduce and finally eliminate state sales taxes on groceries. Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear and former North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper, who is running for the Senate, expanded Medicaid insurance coverage in states with Republican legislative majorities. 'Governors are so important because they are on the front lines,' Mackler said. Democratic governors, she added, have shored up abortion access after the Supreme Court's 2022 Dobbs decision ended a national right to the procedure, and they've defended access to health care for transgender patients, even in conservative states. That includes Kentucky's Beshear, elected twice in a state Trump carried three times. It's about more than Trump Some governors stand out as aggressive Trump critics, including some possible 2028 contenders. 'Our democracy is on the line,' Pritzker said at the North Carolina event. 'Are you ready to fight?' California Gov. Gavin Newsom jousts with the Trump administration on social media, and he's produced podcasts aimed at Trump voters. But Sherrill and others say being a Democratic governor is not simply about opposing Trump on a personal level. 'People are furious that a president who ran on affordability is actually raising costs on everyone,' she said. She cited Trump's trade wars and the GOP's tax cuts that are tilted to the wealthy while their safety net program cuts hit the poor and working class. Democrats, she said, must level attacks based on how policies affect voters, then offer plausible alternatives. 'I'm talking to thousands of New Jerseyans every day, and what I'm hearing is, 'I just need somebody who's going to go to Trenton and deliver for me,'' Sherrill said. Republicans have defended their bill, saying it was crucial because there would've been a massive tax increase after December when tax breaks from Trump's first term would expire. Bright spots for Democrats Bradley Beychok, a Democratic consultant and co-founder of the American Bridge super political action committee, said the dynamics in Washington are frustrating. 'When you lose a presidential election and the House and the Senate, no one is happy, and they shouldn't be,' he said. But, Beychok added, 'the reality is we lost a close election' and had key down-ballot wins. Republicans had the so-called Washington trifecta at the start of Trump's first term, and Democrats bottomed out then at just 15 out of 50 governors. But in succeeding years they flipped nine governors' seats. Only one Democratic incumbent governor has lost since, and their current slate of 23 includes five of seven presidential battlegrounds Trump swept in 2024. 'People are willing to split their ballots because they connect the results they see on the ground with their governors,' said Clayton, who celebrated a win in North Carolina by Democratic Gov. Josh Stein despite Trump carrying the state. 'Now we just have to do a better job of localizing the federal elections the same way.' A Spanberger win in Virginia would give Democrats 24 governors heading into 2026, when 36 executive seats will be on midterm ballots. New Jersey currently has a Democratic governor. Governors can swing the presidential pendulum History suggests a base of state power bodes well for opposition parties in Washington. Bill Clinton was a longtime governor in 1992 when he ended Republicans' winning streak of three presidential election landslides. His successor, George W. Bush, was among the many Republicans governors elected in the GOP's 1994 midterm sweep. Before Clinton and Bush, Republican Ronald Reagan and Democrat Jimmy Carter won the presidency as former governors. Many current Democratic executives have visited early nominating states or, like Pritzker, general election battlegrounds. Most of them, Maryland's Moore included, dismiss 2028 speculation. 'We don't have the time,' he said. ___ Associated Press writer Steve Peoples in Colorado Springs, Colo., contributed to this report.
