trump points finger at quebec as he hits canada with 50% tariffs, citing booze, dairy disputes
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u.s. president donald trump speaks to reporters after landing in air force one on july 19, 2026 in joint base andrews, maryland.
andrew harnik
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u.s. president donald trump is imposing a 50-per-cent tariff on canadian goods, blaming quebec's halt on importing u.s. alcohol, in part, as he ramps up the trade war.quebec businesses began searching for new markets after the president of its southern neighbour and largest foreign trading partner threatened tariffs on canadian exports. more than one year after embarking on a trade war with canada, trump writes that canada, pointing to an example from quebec, “unreasonably burdens and disadvantages u.s. alcoholic beverages but not alcoholic beverages of other countries.”“on march 4, 2025, the province of quebec asked the société des alcools du québec to remove all u.s. products from its shelves and to stop supplying u.s. alcoholic beverages to grocery stores, liquor stores, bars and restaurants,” the white house wrote in an official announcement monday on offsetting “canadian discrimination.”the white house also published proclamations monday on canada’s discrimination against u.s. commerce with respect to motor vehicles and dairy products.they indicate the tariffs apply to all covered goods regardless of whether they originate under the u.s.-mexico-canada agreement (usmca), but notes they will not apply to energy, potash and certain other goods, such as fish or critical minerals.according to the white house’s announcement, the tariffs will take effect 30 days after signing.quebec premier christine fréchette called the new tariffs “unjustified and concerning.”“i will continue to fight to protect our economy, our workers and our businesses. as for supply management, any weakening is non-negotiable. we will defend it without compromise,” the premier wrote in a post on x.“i will address the situation with prime minister mark carney as part of the premiers' meeting this week. this is the worst time to add a layer of instability to quebec's economy, when our businesses need predictability.”
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