REGINA - There is pushback to the Saskatchewan Liquor and Gaming Authority's move to remove US beer and liquor brands from Saskatchewan shelves.
In particular, the concerns are over beer that are American brands, but which are made in Canada using Canadian-sourced ingredients. Those include brands as Coors and Miller, made in Canada by Molson Coors, as well as Budweiser and Bud Light made by Labatt’s. Other brands impacted include Pabst, Rainier, Old Milwaukee, Twisted Tea and Blue Moon. In all over 50 brands are affected.
Beer Canada called on Saskatchewan to reverse the removal in a news release. They urged Premier Scott Moe to “immediately reverse its misguided decision to pull proudly Canadian-brewed beer from store shelves.”
They called the move “heavy-handed market intervention” that harms Canadian businesses, farmers, workers, and consumers while undermining the principles of fair trade, national economic cooperation and consumer choice.
“The Saskatchewan government’s decision to ban beer brewed in Canada under the false pretense that it may be perceived as ‘American-branded’ is not only incorrect—it is a direct attack on Canadian values. Saskatchewan is the only Canadian province to target products manufactured in Canada as a response to unjustified American tariffs on Canada. This policy overstep must be reversed at once.”
Beer Canada also pointed out the identified beers “are all made by largely unionized Canadian workers in Alberta, British Columbia, Ontario, and Quebec using Canadian ingredients—including Saskatchewan-grown barley. Blocking these products is an economic gut punch to Saskatchewan’s farmers, retailers, distributors, and hospitality businesses that rely on a strong and competitive beer market.”
Restaurant Canada is also calling on Saskatchewan to reconsider its decision, saying the policy affects many of the key brands most ordered by their restaurants patrons.
In a news release they pointed to rising costs and tight margins for restaurants and say losing access to top-selling beer brands could have devastating consequences for the sector.
“Beer is often the most profitable item on a restaurant’s menu, especially in keg form,” said Mark von Schellwitz, Vice President, Western Canada at Restaurants Canada, in a statement. “Removing the most in-demand brands from the market will significantly impact restaurants and hurt small businesses, jobs, and farmers across the province.”
The province had announced they would be removing the American beer and liquor in retaliation to the tariffs from President Donald Trump announced earlier in March.
Sask Today has reached out to the province for comment and they have provided this response: "SLGA is reviewing the current list of American brand alcohol which they have currently paused in response to the US tariffs."
