‘Not how you treat your friends’: Yukon stops orders of U.S. alcohol after tariffs

Yukon is no longer placing orders for U.S.-made alcohol and is removing American products from all government liquor stores in response to U.S. President Donald Trump’s tariffs on Canadian goods.

A statement from Premier Ranj Pillai says businesses may continue to sell the American-made products they already have in stock, but no new orders for U.S. alcohol will be placed by the territory’s distributor, the Yukon Liquor Corporation.

Pillai says the 25 per cent tariffs on Canadian goods by the United States are “unjustified and short-sighted” and his government is updating its procurement policies to encourage the purchase of more goods and services from local businesses and non-U. S. companies.

He says the territory is spending $1 million to develop an assistance program, complementary to federal support programs, to help Yukon businesses adapt to the uncertain economic environment created by the tariffs.

He says the territory is developing a second round of responses to tariffs if the Trump administration continues “down this destructive path” and that more details will be provided in the days and weeks to come.

Pillai says the United States is Yukon’s most important trading partner, and Canada’s closest friend and ally, “but this is not how you treat your friends.”

“To our friends and family in Alaska: our lives and economies are interconnected, and we hope you will continue to visit our territory and experience all that it has to offer. Please know these measures are not directed at you, but we must do what we can to stand up for our country, our sovereignty and our way of life,” he says.

The Yukon is the latest Canadian jurisdiction to include alcohol as part of its response to Trump’s tariffs.

Manitoba, Ontario, Quebec, Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, P.E.I., and Newfoundland and Labrador all announced they’re pulling American liquor off their shelves, while B.C. Premier David Eby said his province is removing booze from “red” Republican states.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published March 4, 2025

Ashley Joannou, The Canadian Press