Distilled Spirits Council Targets Canada's Alcohol Pricing: Greer Faces Pressure on Trade Agreements

U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer has been at the center of several fast moving trade disputes and negotiations in recent days, as pressure mounts on Washington to defend American exporters while upholding the Trump administrations aggressive tariff strategy. Canadian media including CityNews Halifax report that a powerful lobby group, the Distilled Spirits Council of the United States, has just filed a detailed submission to Greers office alleging that several Canadian provinces are unfairly favoring local alcohol producers. The council points to Nova Scotia Liquor Corporation markups that can reach about one hundred sixty percent on imported spirits, compared with roughly fifty to eighty percent on local rum, whisky, and other products. They argue this violates World Trade Organization rules and the United States Mexico Canada Agreement, and they are urging Greer to push Ottawa and the provinces to dismantle what they call discriminatory distilled spirits markups. According to the Financial Post and other Canadian outlets, the council also highlights broader barriers across Alberta, Saskatchewan, New Brunswick, Prince Edward Island, Newfoundland and Labrador, Ontario, Quebec, and British Columbia. These include provincial sales bans that gutted United States spirits exports during the ongoing tariff fight, pricing rules at the Liquor Control Board of Ontario that penalize suppliers who do not give Ontario the lowest price in Canada, restrictions on price changes in Quebec, and opaque retail markups in parts of western Canada. The group wants Greer to use the upcoming review of the North American trade pact to secure better market access and a return to zero for zero tariffs with key partners. At the same time, labor and industry voices in Canada are bracing for a tougher line from Greer on the broader United States Mexico Canada Agreement review set for twenty twenty six. Reporting from Canadian business outlets notes that in recent testimony to a congressional committee, Greer flagged United States concerns over access to Canadas dairy market and other longstanding irritants. Unifor president Lana Payne has responded by calling on Ottawa to stand firm, warning that the United States may seek changes that could weaken Canadian supply management and manufacturing jobs. Global trade publications drawing on Bloomberg reporting add that Greer has been signaling a hard nosed approach well beyond North America. He recently warned that talks with the European Union and India on separate trade arrangements remain contentious and are likely to spill into the new year, and his office has threatened retaliation over what Washington views as excessive European regulation of American technology companies. Together, these developments show Greer using his post to translate domestic political pressure into concrete demands on partners, from liquor taxes to digital rules, even as allies prepare for a bruising North American trade reset. Thank you This content was created in partnership and with the help of Artificial Intelligence AI.