Quebec’s finance minister says he has shared his concerns with his Ontario counterpart about that province’s intention to remove Crown Royal whisky from government-owned liquor stores, saying now is not the time to further disrupt Canadian supply chains.
Ontario Premier Doug Ford has said the Crown Royal boycott, which he intends to launch next month, is in retaliation for parent company Diageo deciding to close its bottling plant in Amherstburg, Ont. The Ontario facility closure will affect about 200 jobs.
Ford has said he thinks the Ontario jobs will end up in the United States. Last year, Diageo announced the construction of a new manufacturing plant in Alabama.
Diageo, the United Kingdom-based alcoholic beverage giant, has said Crown Royal destined for Canada and non-U.S. export markets will be bottled at its existing Quebec facility in Valleyfield, Que., southwest of Montreal.
In a statement to the media, Eric Girard, Quebec’s finance minister, says he understands the concerns of Ontario workers impacted by the situation and that “no one wants to see jobs lost,” but he says he’s concerned about the impact it could have on operations in Quebec.
Girard also cautioned Ontario on the timing of its boycott. “In the current uncertain economic climate, particularly with the trade tensions with our southern neighbour, now is not the time to implement measures that risk further weakening Canadian supply chains,” Girard said.
In its announcement in August that it will close its Ontario plant by February, Diageo said Crown Royal would continue to be mashed, distilled, and aged in Canada, as has been the case since 1939. As well, the company said recently it will maintain its headquarters and warehouse operations in the Greater Toronto Area, and keep open the plant in Gimli, Man., which employs about 76 people and purchases materials from farmers in the region.
Girard said he has raised his concerns with Ontario Finance Minister Peter Bethlenfalvy. “My priority, as minister, is the protection of Canadian workers, including those in Quebec who work in Valleyfield and who will be affected by such a decision,” Girard said in his statement to the media.
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Manitoba Premier Wab Kinew made a similar overture to Ford last week, asking the premier not to follow through on his threat.
“I’m asking you to reconsider because this is about sticking together as Team Canada. We know that we’re standing together against the U.S. But a house divided against itself cannot stand. We’ve got to stick together as provincial leaders,” Kinew said, referring to Canada’s trade war with the Trump administration, which has imposed tariffs on Canadian products and has threatened to annex the country through economic force.
During a news conference on Monday, Ford said, “My Number 1 job is to protect the workers here in Ontario, protect their communities, protect the people of Ontario, and I’ll do whatever it takes to make sure that we protect them.”
If Ontario follows through with the boycott, Kinew said he doesn’t plan to pull Ontario liquor from Manitoba shelves in retaliation. He said it would not be right to take an action that hurts Canadian jobs.
A spokeswoman for Quebec’s liquor board, the Société des alcools du Québec, said it won’t be removing Crown Royal either, noting the connection to the Quebec plant.
— with files from Allison Jones in Toronto
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