‘No CUSMA, no booze-ma’: Kinew

With the next round of tariffs set to hit Canadian goods next week, and a new report suggesting Manitobans could be severely impacted if the Canada-U.S.-Mexico agreement on trade breaks down, Premier Wab Kinew pledged Wednesday to keep working with the U.S. ambassador — and keep American booze off Manitoba shelves, for now.

Kinew described the province’s current stance as “no CUSMA, no booze-ma,” but if putting American liquor back on store shelves can help a successful renegotiation of the trade deal, Manitoba will join the rest of Canada in supporting that negotiation.

But if U.S. President Donald Trump “continues to call himself the tariff man and self-immolate in a way that harms the average American,” he said, American booze, which was first pulled from Liquor Mart shelves in response to tariffs in February 2025, will stay off shelves.

“I think what you’re likely to see is, at the 11th hour, something to come forward. And we’ll be there alongside the other provinces, to say, ‘Yeah, this is a good deal, let’s go ahead and try to get things back to normal,’” Kinew told reporters.

“Or, if there’s no deal, then we’ll just continue to maintain our position, which has been very effective. Taking the booze off the shelves has been very effective, and it’s clearly gotten the attention of the American administration.”

A report prepared for the Canadian American Business Council by Oxford Economics published this week suggests Canada could lose 102,000 jobs if CUSMA dies.

It lists Manitoba as one of the provinces most impacted if the renegotiation is unsuccessful.

Meanwhile, Trump is set to close the U.S. consulate in Winnipeg and shift responsibilities to its embassy in Ottawa, the U.S. State Department confirmed last week.

Kinew said Wednesday he was tipped off about the closure by U.S. ambassador to Canada Pete Hoekstra while at a celebration hosted by the American embassy at a Goldeyes game in June.

He waved off an online petition calling on Canada to oust Hoekstra from the country.

“I will take my shots and make my critiques about them, but at the end of the day, that’s who we have to work with,” he said. “And we will continue to be good friends and partners and allies of the Americans.”

The petition, started by a Calgary woman, has so far garnered more than 70,000 signatures, and will be presented in the House of Commons in the fall.

Trump has said a new round of 50 per cent American tariffs on$20 billion worth of Canadian goods will take effect next Wednesday.

Manitobans are looking for a diplomatic approach from U.S. leadership, especially with the potential jobs losses that could come with a CUSMA breakdown looming, said Christopher Adams, an adjunct professor of political science at the University of Manitoba.

That includes showing a united front with the rest of the provinces and Prime Minister Mark Carney on the question of when American alcohol may return to store shelves, said Adams.

“I think Manitobans do see a need to to bargain with the U.S., not kowtowing, but to bargain,” he said.

“And I would say that the view of many Manitobans is that if Carney needs this for a bargaining chip, then I think the premiers will be in line.”

malak.abas@freepress.mb.ca