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Photo by Graham Hughes /BloombergWhile provincial and federal ministers this week revived pleas for the nation’s citizens to “buy Canadian” in the fallout of torpedoed Canada-U.S. trade talks, the country’s largest airline is offering business class passengers American bourbon.Enjoy the latest local, national and international news.Exclusive articles by Conrad Black, Barbara Kay and others. Plus, special edition NP Platformed and First Reading newsletters and virtual events.Unlimited online access to National Post.National Post ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition to view on any device, share and comment on.Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword.Support local journalism.Enjoy the latest local, national and international news.Exclusive articles by Conrad Black, Barbara Kay and others. Plus, special edition NP Platformed and First Reading newsletters and virtual events.Unlimited online access to National Post.National Post ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition to view on any device, share and comment on.Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword.Support local journalism.Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience.Access articles from across Canada with one account.Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments.Enjoy additional articles per month.Get email updates from your favourite authors.Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience.Access articles from across Canada with one accountShare your thoughts and join the conversation in the commentsEnjoy additional articles per monthGet email updates from your favourite authorsSign In or Create an AccountorAs reported by Global News, a subsequently removed social media post Monday claimed Jack Daniel’s Tennessee Whiskey was being served to those seated in business class during an Air Canada flight out of Montreal.Air Canada told National Post in a statement that, “As a global airline transporting international customers including to and from the U.S, Air Canada carries a range of onboard products that reflects our customer preferences.”Get a dash of perspective along with the trending news of the day in a very readable format.By signing up you consent to receive the above newsletter from Postmedia Network Inc.A welcome email is on its way. If you don't see it, please check your junk folder.The next issue of NP Posted will soon be in your inbox.We encountered an issue signing you up. Please try againAt least one Canadian wine is featured on every international flight, “and we’ve made a deliberate shift toward Canadian spirits and Canadian producers,” Air Canada said. “In addition to the range of Canadian products we proudly feature, we also carry some internationally recognized products that are particularly important to our global customer base, including U.S. bourbon, which is available in Business (Signature) Class only.”In a statement to National Post, Porter Airlines said it “emphasizes partnering with high-quality Canadian brands whenever possible,” such as Jackson Triggs wine from Niagara and Alberta-based Tumbler & Rocks cocktails, but that no American alcohol is served on board.Porter has flights to destinations in Canada, the U.S., Mexico, Costa Rica and the Caribbean.Most provinces removed American liquor from government-run shelves last year in retaliation to the first batch of Trump-imposed tariffs on Canadian goods. A worker removes bottles of American-made Jack Daniel’s whiskey from a shelf at a liquor store in Toronto after the Ontario government ordered a ban on sales of U.S. booze in retaliation for the Trump administration’s tariffs. Photo by Christopher Katsarov Luna /BloombergPrime Minister Mark Carney asked provinces to restock American alcohol when a trade agreement appeared near last week. But Ontario Premier Doug Ford has said he has no plans to instruct Liquor Control Board of Ontario outlets to do so anytime soon. While wholesale customers like grocery and convenience stores, bars and restaurants are no longer able to place orders for U.S. products, “it is at their discretion to sell existing inventory,” the LCBO notes on its website, explaining why the boycott is for “the good of Ontario. The good of Canada.”Some online commentators said Air Canada’s decision to keep a stock of U.S. bourbon on board seems “a bit tone deaf” given the escalating trade war. Why not buy into the boycott strategy, others asked.Air Canada is under federal and not provincial jurisdiction, said Charles-Étienne Beaudry, a teaching professor of political science at the University of Ottawa and author of the independently published book, Radio Trump: How he won the first time.“This private company does not buy its alcohol at the liquor store. It buys directly from global distributors like Diageo, moving the product via carriers directly into warehouses located on airport grounds,” and all under federal jurisdiction under the federal Customs Act, Beaudry said in an email.“There is a ‘duty-free’ loophole in this: for international flights, Air Canada pays no taxes or tariffs on the alcohol in the airport warehouse,” Beaudry said. It only applies for in-Canada flights. “The situation is the same for Porter, WestJet, Flair, etc.”It could be “commercially very costly” for Air Canada to boycott U.S. alcohol, he said.On the other hand, the airline could choose to apply the boycott on flights inside Canada only, he said. “It would be showing some efforts to participate in the Canadian trade struggle.”Alternatively, “the federal government can amend the Customs Act to ban U.S. alcohol in all air transportation.”WestJet and Air Transat did not respond to a request for comment before deadline.National PostOur website is the place for the latest breaking news, exclusive scoops, longreads and provocative commentary. Please bookmark nationalpost.com and sign up for our newsletters here. Join the Conversation This website uses cookies to personalize your content (including ads), and allows us to analyze our traffic. Read more about cookies here. 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