(HALIFAX, CANADA) – Canadian shoppers in Nova Scotia are turning away from American alcohol brands as trade discussions between Canada and the United States continue. Many consumers say they have already replaced wines, beers and spirits from the United States with products from Canada and other countries.
Janice Peet, a customer at a Nova Scotia liquor store, said California wines were once a regular purchase for her home. After Canadian provinces removed American alcohol from store shelves in response to United States tariffs, she found alternatives. Peet said she will not return to her previous buying habits. “I won’t buy U.S. wines anymore or any kinds of alcohol. I switched to some Canadian brands and also Australian and those are my favourites now,” she said.
Another shopper, Sean Griffith, said he also plans to avoid American alcohol. “I’m not gonna buy it, it doesn’t do anything for me,” he said.
Most Canadian provinces pulled American liquor from government run stores starting on March 4, 2025. Nova Scotia was among the provinces that removed the products. The decision followed the introduction of tariffs by the United States on Canadian goods.
Exports of American alcohol to Canada fell by 81%, a drop worth more than 580 million US dollars (about 793 million Canadian dollars, or roughly 462 million British pounds). California alone sent about 40% of all its bottled wine exports to Canada.
Dan Paszkowski, president of Wine Growers Canada, said the measure was always expected to be short term. “We always knew that the measure would be temporary,” he said. Paszkowski said California wine producers will work hard to win back Canadian customers. He called for a plan to keep the current shift toward Canadian wine in place. “The government can help the industry turn this into a win for Canadian wines, for Nova Scotia wines and that’s really the discussion we’d like to have with government,” he said.
Ontario and Quebec have said the United States must lower or remove tariffs on Canadian goods before they will consider ending the alcohol ban.
Nova Scotia Premier Tim Houston said in a statement that American tariffs have damaged both economies. “While we can’t control what happens in Washington, we can control what goes on our shelves. At this time, we have no plans to reinstate American alcohol,” he said.
In December 2025, the Nova Scotia government decided to sell off its remaining supply of American alcohol, which was valued at 14 million Canadian dollars (about 10.2 million US dollars, or roughly 8.1 million British pounds).
Nine months later, some American wine remains on store shelves. Terrah McKinnon, a spokesperson for the Nova Scotia Liquor Corporation, said sales of remaining United States products from December 1, 2025 to March 31, 2026 reached about 10 million Canadian dollars (about 7.3 million US dollars, or roughly 5.8 million British pounds). More than half of those sales, 55%, happened within the first two weeks. “Since then, sales have tapered,” she said.
McKinnon said any future decision on imports would depend on trade developments. She said the liquor corporation would review timelines and next steps if the situation changes.