While Canada rejects American pricing and annexed threats, at least one American product seems to have become hot goods: alcohol.
The British Columbia Government has pulled all American alcohol alcohol from British Columbia Stores in response to US President Donald Trump’s growing prices and repeated threats to Canada the 51st state.
But British Columbia has not prohibited private alcohol stores from selling their remaining product, and some say they see a rush of customers.
“We get a lot of sales, American whiskey sales are on fire right now, many people are picking up what they can while they can,” said Darryl Lamb, brand director at the Legacy alcohol store in Vancouver.
“You can see that there are holes generated (on the shelves) because we do not fill.”
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Although there was a crush on the request for spirits, for other products, the demand was not so clear.
This has importers like Ashok Fogla worried. His company, True Craft Beverages, imports small, small American craft beer.
The product has a shelf life and, with sales cut in government stores, Fogla said that a substantial part of the $ 250,000 product he holds could open.
“If this trade war continues for two or three or four additional months, we will start destroying our product – at the end of this month, we are probably destroying $ 10,000. Next month, $ 10,000 at an additional $ 20,000 destroyed, “he said.
“What is our fault?” We are a Canadian business, led by Canadians … and we are taken here in this cross fire. »»
Fogla counts on sales in private stores to eliminate its inventory as much as possible, but worries its business.
It is still not known how long the closure of American alcohol could last, because Canadian-American relations remain tense and that the new Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney promises to fight against any tariff climbing.
Trump has already imposed 25% import rates on all steel and aluminum.
He also imposed 25% prices on Canadian goods and 10% on Canadian energy, although he later exempted trade in accordance with CUSMA, including car parts, from his prices until April 2.
He also threatened to apply new prices on dairy and wood on April 2.
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