Canadians continue to curb their enthusiasm for American booze and travel, with no end in sight.
Canadian travel to the U.S. is down for the 15th straight month, when President Donald Trump began his tariff war against Canada, and his rhetoric about the country becoming the 51st state.
Ordinary Canadians have been fighting back in the ways they can, choosing to vacation at home and choosing not to buy American products, especially booze.
And after a year of it, Washington is taking notice. It’s become so bad that United States Secretary of Commerce Howard Lutnick calls it a “trade irritant.”
“It is outrageous that Canada will not put U.S. spirits on the shelf,” he said. “It is insulting.”
The head of the Distilled Spirits Council of the United States, Chris Swonger, said the numbers are not good, especially when the industry, at the end of 2024, was poised to show gains. Swonger said distilleries in the U.S. have lost about 1,000 jobs after exports to Canada fell by more than 60%.
“We’ve seen a reduction in jobs,” he said. “And small craft distilleries in the United States are feeling that pressure. Some of them are starting to shut down.”
You can read more about the impacts in a story from reporter Dan Karpenchuk at our reporting partner North Country Public Radio (NCPR).
NCPR is the member-supported public radio network serving as the primary NPR member station for the Adirondacks, the St. Lawrence Valley, the Champlain Valley, and the Thousand Islands region. NCPR operates a network of over 30 transmitters and translators covering northern New York, western Vermont, and parts of southeastern Ontario and Quebec. You can find the full broadcast schedule, become a member, or listen to their live stream directly on the North Country Public Radio website.
New York Almanack is reporting on Donald Trump’s impacts in New York State, but we can’t do it without your help. Please support this work.
Illustration: A sign welcoming Canadian visitors in Ogdensburg, NY (photo by Emily Russell/NCPR).
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