Eby silent as Carney asks premiers to restock U.S. alcohol

PENTICTON — Premier David Eby has not said whether British Columbia will comply with Prime Minister Mark Carney’s request that provinces put US alcohol back on store shelves as Ottawa races to close a trade deal with the United States..Carney briefed premiers Wednesday after US President Donald Trump paused threatened 50% tariffs for three days. Nova Scotia Premier Tim Houston told reporters the prime minister asked provinces to restock American beer, wine and spirits, a concession Washington has treated as a pillar of any agreement.Eby’s office issued a written statement Wednesday evening. “B.C. stands with Team Canada,” it said.“While no agreement will offer everything our country is hoping for, the federal government has made substantial progress across strategic sectors.” He added the province was “hopeful about the possibility of an agreement.” The statement did not mention alcohol.That silence stands in contrast to Eby’s earlier language. In July he said there was “not a chance in hell” US products would return to BC Liquor stores and later vowed the province would “never” put them back while forest families faced what he called draconian U.S. wood tariffs..The premier framed the boycott as the only leverage catching Washington’s attention and accused BC Conservatives of siding with the U.S. by urging its end. As recently as August 14 he told reporters the position was unchanged.Most provinces pulled US alcohol in 2025 after Trump’s first rounds of tariffs. Alberta and Saskatchewan later restored it. Ontario, Quebec and British Columbia account for the bulk of the remaining government-controlled market. U.S. officials have cited the bans, dairy supply management and auto rules as reasons for the latest tariff threats. Canadian imports of U.S. alcohol fell about 81% in the year after the boycotts began.Eby has long tied any reversal to relief for BC’s softwood lumber sector, which he says is under attack so the U.S. can source wood from Russia and Europe instead. Trade data reveals that claim is a stretch. Canada supplied 82% of US softwood lumber import volume in 2025, or 24.62 million cubic metres. Direct US imports of Russian sawn lumber that year were worth about $88,000.Carney’s request now tests whether that condition still holds or whether “Team Canada” language means the premier will fall in line once a deal is signed.The premier has not spoken to reporters as of Thursday, with the rumour being that Eby is on vacation..Alcohol retail in British Columbia is run through the Liquor Distribution Branch, the Crown importer and wholesaler that also operates government liquor stores. It was that board, acting on the provincial government’s 2025 direction, that delisted U.S. beer, wine and spirits and stopped new orders. Putting the products back requires new listings, purchase orders and inventory — work only the provincial boards can do. Until Eby tells the board to buy, Kentucky bourbon stays a bargaining chip.

Eby silent as Carney asks premiers to restock U.S. alcohol

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