The United States will ban imports of certain alcoholic beverages from Canada from September 29, 2026, escalating an ongoing trade dispute over Canada’s treatment of US alcoholic beverages.
Under a new presidential proclamation issued by US President Donald J. Trump, specified Canadian alcoholic beverages currently subject to additional duties under Proclamation 11046 will be excluded from importation into the US from 12:01 a.m. eastern time on September 29. The affected products are detailed in the proclamation’s Annex.
The move follows a series of measures introduced by the US in response to what the administration describes as discriminatory restrictions imposed by Canada on US alcoholic beverages. Proclamation 11046, issued in July, imposed additional ad valorem duties of up to 50 per cent on certain Canadian products after the US determined that Canada was disadvantaging US commerce.
The additional duties were temporarily suspended for three days in August after Canada indicated that it would remove the measures at issue. However, according to the latest proclamation, Canada subsequently failed to remove the restrictions and instead maintained or increased its discriminatory treatment.
The US cited Saskatchewan’s decision to impose an additional 50 per cent levy on US alcoholic beverages from September 8 as an example of retaliatory action.
Products covered by the new import ban that entered the US, but had not yet been entered for consumption or withdrawn from warehouse for consumption, before September 29 will remain subject to the existing 50 per cent duty.
The proclamation authorises US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) to implement and administer the import ban, including issuing necessary rules and guidance. CBP may also make further modifications to the Harmonized Tariff Schedule of the United States to implement the measure.
The US administration said the action is intended to offset what it considers unreasonable and unequal treatment of US alcoholic beverages and is consistent with US and public interests.
