TRUMP BLINDSIDED: $80 MILLION U.S. Alcohol Stockpile VANISHES Overnight — Carney Unleashes a DEVASTATING BOYCOTT BLOW
U.S. Alcohol Sits Idle as Canada’s Boycott Enters Second Year, Inflicting Billions in Losses
WASHINGTON — When President Trump launched a broad trade war against Canada last March, he expected economic pressure to force America’s northern neighbor to the negotiating table. Instead, Canada responded with a silent but devastating countermove: provincial governments simply pulled American alcohol off the shelves.
One year later, that decision has metastasized into a full-blown commercial crisis for U.S. distillers and vintners. More than $80 million worth of American beer, wine and spirits has vanished from Canadian inventory, with approximately $2 million already expired or expiring in the coming months . The broader economic toll is staggering: U.S. spirits exports to Canada plunged from $203 million in 2024 to just $60 million between March and December 2025 — a drop of nearly 70 percent .
“One year after U.S. spirits were removed from retail shelves across Canadian provinces, the damage to American distillers is unmistakable,” said Chris Swonger, president and CEO of the Distilled Spirits Council of the United States. “This policy has caused real and avoidable harm to an industry that has long championed open markets” .
‘Worse Than a Tariff’
The boycott, enacted by provincial liquor control boards in Ontario, Quebec, British Columbia and elsewhere, has proven far more damaging than a simple tariff increase. Brown-Forman Corp., the Louisville-based maker of Jack Daniel’s, reported that Canadian organic net sales plummeted more than 60 percent in the first half of fiscal year 2026 .
Chief Executive Officer Lawson Whiting called the boycott “worse than a tariff” and a “very disproportionate response” . While Canada accounts for only about 1 percent of Brown-Forman’s total sales, for smaller distillers the impact has been existential.
Minnesota’s Phillips Distilling Co. saw Canadian sales decline by roughly 70 percent — a loss equivalent to 15 percent of its branded business, according to CEO Andrew England. The company was forced to shift production of its Sour Puss liquor to a contract manufacturer in Montreal simply to remain in the market .
“It was very frustrating,” England told Bloomberg News. “If you take away 15% of our branded business, that’s a big problem. I have no idea how this is going to settle out with the U.S. and Canada, which is why we need to operate separately in Canada, and just get on with it” .
The pain extends beyond spirits. U.S. wine exports to Canada — once America’s largest wine market — have fallen 91 percent, according to an industry complaint filed with the U.S. Trade Representative . In October alone, U.S. wine exports to Canada dropped 84 percent year-over-year, while distilled spirits exports fell 56 percent .
Canadians Dig In
The Trump administration has pressed Canada to end the boycott, with U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer warning that lifting provincial booze bans is a key condition for securing a successful review of the U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement this year .
But Canadian public opinion has moved in the opposite direction. A December poll by Nanos Research Group found that nearly three-quarters of Canadians support keeping American alcohol off store shelves, while only 20 percent favor resuming sales . Another survey showed that 71 percent of Canadians are now “less likely” to purchase U.S.-made goods than before the trade war — an increase of eight percentage points from May .
The hard line reflects deepening anger over Trump’s approach to Canada, which has included tariffs on steel and aluminum, threats to crush the Canadian automotive industry, and repeated suggestions that Canada should become America’s “51st state” through “economic force” .
Prime Minister Mark Carney has been unequivocal in response. “America is not Canada, and Canada never, ever will be part of America in any way, shape or form,” he said after taking office .
The LCBO’s Empty Shelves
Ontario, Canada’s most populous province and home to the Liquor Control Board of Ontario — one of the world’s largest alcohol purchasers — has been at the forefront of the boycott. Premier Doug Ford has refused to back down, insisting that American products will remain off LCBO shelves until U.S. tariffs are completely removed .
“We have been clear: until tariffs are completely removed, U.S. alcohol will remain off shelves,” a Ministry of Finance spokesperson said . Ford himself has urged Canadians to remain steadfast, arguing that the boycott has “clearly worked” as a negotiating tool .
The LCBO imported roughly $965 million worth of American alcohol annually before the ban . Now, the government says approximately $2 million worth of U.S. products — primarily beer, ready-to-drink beverages and wine — have already expired or will expire in the coming months . Documents obtained through freedom of information requests show provincial officials have been closely monitoring the expiring inventory, though many details remain redacted .
Other provinces have taken more nuanced approaches. Quebec announced in February that some American alcohol would return to stores — but only products that risked deteriorating by March 2027, with proceeds going to food banks . The sale is expected to generate up to $8.6 million for charitable causes .
Only two provinces, Alberta and Saskatchewan, have fully restored American spirits to retail shelves, largely because they rely on privatized liquor systems rather than government-controlled boards .
A Strategic Advantage for Canada
As American distillers struggle, Canada has quietly capitalized on the moment. Sales of Ontario-made alcohol products increased roughly 22 percent after the ban, with craft products up 35 percent and VQA Ontario wines soaring 52 percent .
For U.S. producers, the path forward remains uncertain. While the Supreme Court ruled last month that Trump lacks authority to impose sweeping tariffs under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act, the president has signaled he intends to continue his tariff strategy .
Negotiations over the CUSMA review remain frozen, though Canadian Minister Dominic LeBlanc has indicated he will meet with Greer in the coming weeks to discuss the impasse . For now, American alcohol remains in limbo — sitting in warehouses, slowly expiring, while Canadians pour their own.
“This is not just about trade,” one Canadian official said, speaking on condition of anonymity. “It’s about principle. And on that front, Canadians are not backing down.”
Nearly 150,000 California Mail Ballots Rejected In Primary
California election officials are examining why nearly 150,000 mail-in ballots were rejected during the state’s June primary, with late-arriving ballots accounting for most of the increase.
The higher rejection rate comes despite years of election law changes designed to make voting more accessible and ensure more ballots are ultimately counted.
According to data compiled by the California Secretary of State’s office, 148,241 mail-in ballots were rejected during the June primary, representing 1.73% of all mail ballots returned.
That marks an increase from the 2024 primary, when 108,982 ballots were rejected, or 1.56% of all mail ballots cast.
The largest reason for rejection was ballots arriving too late to qualify under California law.
State data shows that 93,479 ballots were rejected because they failed to meet the state’s deadline requirements.
California allows mail ballots to arrive up to seven days after Election Day, provided they are postmarked on or before Election Day.
Voting experts believe many of the rejected ballots received postmarks dated after Election Day, making them ineligible to be counted even if they arrived within the seven-day grace period.
Kim Alexander, president of the nonpartisan California Voter Foundation, said the timing of postal processing appears to be a significant concern.
“Ballots rejected due to lateness are caused primarily to being postmarked too late to count, not because they arrived too late to count,” Alexander said.
Election experts have questioned whether recent operational changes within the U.S. Postal Service may be contributing to delayed postmarks.
Earlier this year, a group of mostly Democratic U.S. senators wrote to the Postal Service expressing concern that mail-processing changes could affect ballot handling during federal elections.
Updated Postal Service procedures mean postmarks may reflect when mail is processed at regional facilities rather than when it first enters the mail system.
Because processing centers have been consolidated in some areas, election officials have warned that postmark timing could be affected.
Before the June primary, California election officials encouraged voters to mail ballots as early as possible because of potential postal delays.
The June election also featured a highly competitive race for governor, which some experts believe encouraged many voters to wait until the final days before casting ballots.
In addition to late-arriving ballots, approximately 44,000 ballots were rejected because election officials determined the voter’s signature did not match the signature on file.
Another 8,300 ballots were rejected because the return envelope did not contain a signature.
State records also show that 743 ballots were rejected because those voters had already cast another ballot.
Other rejected ballots involved missing ballots inside return envelopes or multiple ballots submitted in a single envelope.
The highest rejection rate in the state occurred in Tulare County, where 3.52% of returned mail ballots were rejected.
Alpine County and Merced County followed closely, each recording rejection rates of 3.36%.
California has frequently faced criticism for taking weeks to complete vote counting after major elections, largely because state law permits ballots meeting certain requirements to continue arriving after Election Day.
Following the June primary, President Donald Trump again criticized California’s election system, while the Department of Justice opened an investigation into election administration in Los Angeles County.
Election experts emphasize that the increase in rejected ballots should not be interpreted as evidence of widespread voter fraud.
A 2025 report by the Brookings Institution found documented cases of mail ballot fraud remained extremely rare, estimating roughly four cases for every 10 million mail ballots cast, The Associated Press reported.
State officials have not identified evidence of widespread fraud connected to the June primary, but the increase in rejected ballots is expected to receive additional scrutiny as election administrators evaluate whether changes in postal operations, voter behavior or election procedures contributed to the higher rejection rate.
