SIPOS: BC NDP tariff response leaving small businesses behind

Johnathon Sipos is a licensed liquor importer in British Columbia and an entrepreneur in commercial real estate development, point source carbon capture, and the wine industry.British Columbia Premier David Eby's recent decision to ban the import and sale of American alcohol in government liquor stores is a bold and justified response to the escalating trade war sparked by United States President Donald Trump's tariffs. It sends a clear message: we will not roll over. Counter-tariffs and retaliatory bans are proportionate and necessary tools to defend our interests, but while the NDP's stance is reasonable, it comes with a glaring omission — support for the small to medium-sized liquor import agencies caught in the crossfire.When this trade conflict began, both federal and provincial governments promised to stand by those affected. They recognized that businesses and workers would suffer collateral damage through no fault of their own, and they vowed to provide assistance to help them pivot to new markets or weather the storm. Yet, as Premier Eby took the stage this past Monday to announce the ban on importing American alcohol and its immediate removal from BC Liquor Stores — the province's largest alcohol retailer — no such support was mentioned. For the small agents who have built their livelihoods importing and selling American alcohol, the silence was deafening.To understand the scale of this oversight, consider how BC's liquor system works. Under provincial law, all foreign alcohol must be imported by a licensed BC agent — a process that is slow, heavily regulated, and financially demanding. Importers typically pre-purchase stock from foreign suppliers, cover shipping costs, and store at their own cost said goods in bonded warehouses like ContainerWorld, where the alcohol sits until a liquor store or restaurant places an order. Only then do they get paid. With BC Liquor Stores now refusing to stock US products, these agents have lost access to their biggest sales channel overnight. Worse still, the ban on new imports has severed their ability to replenish stock, leaving their businesses in limbo. Returning the purchased wine to the original winery is also far from certain, as commercial terms seldom provide for such action, and even if they do, the costs associated with storage, paperwork, and shipping would still be borne by the importer.The idea that these importers can simply switch to suppliers from Europe, Australia, or elsewhere is a fantasy. Securing a new foreign brand and getting it onto shelves takes four to five months at best, often much longer. It's a costly process, too, requiring upfront investment in product, shipping, and regulatory approvals — capital that many small operators don't have on hand after sinking their savings into now-unsellable American inventory. Large, multi-provincial importers with deep pockets and diverse catalogues might weather this storm, but the small players — the ones who bring unique, passion-driven brands to our tables — are being left to fend for themselves.As a licensed liquor importer myself, I know firsthand the challenges of navigating this bureaucracy, and I've watched friends who've poured their hearts and life savings into importing small, interesting wines from Washington State, Oregon, and California suffer under this ban. These are people who turned their love for distinctive vintages into a business, only to have it effectively shuttered by government decree. No due process, no compensation, no lifeline — just a ban and a wave goodbye. I see the rationale behind Eby's decision; Trump's tariffs demand a strong response. But I cannot accept the NDP's apparent indifference to the small business owners bearing the brunt of it.The government might argue that BC wineries will fill the gap, and indeed, local producers stand to benefit — a silver lining for an industry battered by many years of bad weather and forest fire smoke damage. Anecdotally, it's also interesting to think back a few years, when BC wineries, faced with crippling forest fire smoke that ruined vintages, turned to Washington State vineyards to buy, import, and make BC wine from Washington State grapes, essentially relying on the Americans to remain open. But these BC wineries either self-represent or already have established sales channels. Flooding the market with additional agents selling local wine isn't a viable solution for importers specialized in foreign products.True, the number of affected importers is relatively small compared to BC's broader population. But their size doesn't diminish the principle at stake. When politicians preach that "we're all in this together," they must mean it — especially in times of economic conflict. Leaving these small business owners to fend for themselves sends the opposite message: that some are expendable. Perhaps worse, if they've forgotten about those impacted in this industry, what's to stop them forgetting the next.When the federal government promised tariff revenues would support affected industries, and when Eby himself spoke of solidarity with workers and businesses, we expected more than platitudes. Where is the emergency fund to help importers cover their stranded inventory? Where is the transition assistance to bridge the six-month gap to new suppliers? Where is the plan to protect the jobs tied to these importers? At the very least, where is the commitment to cut back the bureaucratic red tape that hampers approvals and delays timelines to bring in new foreign products? Instead, it is clear that the NDP is focused on political rhetoric and has fully forgotten the many small business owners and their employees whose creativity, passion, and skill bring unique and interesting diversity to our liquor store shelves.Premier Eby's ban on American alcohol is a justifiable move against an economic bully, but it's incomplete without a parallel commitment to the British Columbians it impacts most. If we're going to fight this trade war, let's fight it fully — by standing up not just against the US, but for our own.Johnathon Sipos is a licensed liquor importer in British Columbia and an entrepreneur in commercial real estate development, point source carbon capture, and the wine industry.

SIPOS: BC NDP tariff response leaving small businesses behind

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