Despite Trump’s threats, most Canadians don’t want U.S. booze back: survey

Despite escalating trade tensions with the United States, a strong majority of Canadians do not want American alcohol returned to provincial store shelves. New survey data released by Abacus Data shows that nearly seven in 10 Canadians across seven provinces support maintaining restrictions on U.S. alcohol products.

The survey, which polled 1,363 adults, found that 69 percent of respondents in British Columbia, Ontario, Manitoba, and the four Atlantic provinces believe their provincial governments should uphold the current restrictions. Only 19 percent expressed a desire for American products to be restocked, with 11 percent remaining unsure.

This public stance comes as U.S. President Donald Trump prepares to impose 50 percent tariffs on a wide range of Canadian goods. These retaliatory measures, scheduled to take effect on August 19, are a response to what Trump has termed "discriminatory" actions by Canada, including provincial boycotts of American alcohol.

Provincial governments began removing U.S. alcohol from their shelves in early 2025 as part of a response to Trump's "trade war" and his rhetoric about making Canada the "51st state." Abacus Data CEO David Coletto noted that these findings suggest provincial governments have substantial public backing to continue these restrictions. Support for the ban is particularly strong in British Columbia (72 percent) and Atlantic Canada and Ontario (69 percent).

Opposition to American alcohol is notably sharper among older Canadians (78 percent among those aged 60 and over) compared to younger demographics. Politically, Liberal and NDP voters show overwhelming support for the restrictions (83 percent and 84 percent, respectively), while 53 percent of Conservative voters also back the measures. Overall, more than half of Canadians (54 percent) want the restrictions to remain until U.S. tariffs are removed, even if it leads to further retaliation.

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These results suggest provincial governments have considerable public room to keep American alcohol off their shelves.