Since March 2025, every Canadian province except for Alberta and Saskatchewan has banned the sale of American booze. This move was made in retaliation against the tariffs that President Trump imposed on Canadian goods at the time, but it’s one that has had a major negative impact upon many American producers. Now, a New York congresswoman has proposed an investigation into these bans, calling it the CANADA Act.
That acronym stands for “Combating Attacks on our National Alcoholic Drinks by Allies.” The investigation was put forward by Republican congresswoman Claudia Tenney of the 24th district of New York State, which includes the Fingers Lakes region that is home to many wineries and distilleries. According to a press release issued by Tenney’s office, she is introducing legislation for the U.S. Trade Representative to initiate a “Section 301 investigation into the restrictions on the importation and distribution of American alcoholic beverages through provincial liquor boards.”
“Canadian provinces cannot be allowed to hold American wineries, breweries, and distilleries hostage and attempt to ransom them,” she said in a statement.
Of course, these Canadian bans on American liquor do not exist in a vaccum. As mentioned before, they are a direct response to the Trump administration imposing 25 percent tariffs in March 2025 on most Canadian imports, including whisky. While the Supreme Court ruled that the president did not actually have the authority to impose many of these levies under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA) in February of this year, many tariffs still remain on things like car parts, steel, and aluminum.
