N.L. cautious to dismantle interprovincial trade barriers on alcohol

Jenna Head · CBC News

· Posted: Mar 07, 2025 4:30 AM EST | Last Updated: 11 minutes ago

Newfoundland and Labrador is moving dilatory as Canada looks to dismantle interprovincial commercialized barriers successful the aftermath of U.S. tariff threats.

It's a determination that could let intoxicant from different parts of the state to travel to the state easier.

Finance Minister Siobhan Coady says she's acrophobic astir the imaginable interaction connected Newfoundland and Labrador's Labatt and Molson breweries.

But that doesn't mean the provincial authorities is isolating itself from different markets.

Ottawa reached a deal with the bulk of provinces connected Thursday to let Canadian intoxicant to flow freely crossed provincial borders. It's a effect to pulling U.S. liquor from store shelves.

The determination is portion of a big of changes being worked connected by the federal, provincial, and territorial governments.

But Finance Minister Siobhan Coady said Thursday the provincial authorities is holding retired connected selling brew products from different jurisdictions to forestall hurting 2 of the province's biggest breweries: Labatt and Molson. 

She made the remark aft CBC News reported that Newfoundland and Labrador and Prince Edward Island are the lone 2 holdouts. 

"We don't privation to person unintended consequences," Coady said. "We person 2 breweries successful this state and we don't privation to interaction the workers oregon the manufacturing of those products present successful Newfoundland and Labrador."

Coady said she has yet to get feedback from section breweries. She said the state is trying to debar unintended consequences. 

"We person 2 nationalist breweries present successful the state of Newfoundland and Labrador, and arsenic you know, that was a precise important constituent of making definite that those breweries stay successful Newfoundland and Labrador," she said. 

But section restaurateur Todd Perrin is questioning wherefore the state isn't jumping connected board. 

He said helium suspects that wealth motivates the province, due to the fact that the Newfoundland and Labrador Liquor Corporation has a monopoly connected its products.

"We wage a batch much for our liquor than everyone other does," Perrin said. "The NLC reports a overmuch larger percent nett than the different liquor boards successful the state do."

On Wednesday, the national authorities announced it was adding $200 cardinal to the Canadian system portion U.S. tariffs inactive formed a shadiness implicit the country.

Late connected Thuesday, U.S. President Donald Trump paused astir tariffs erstwhile again, with a caller deadline for April 2.

However, Trump said helium was inactive moving up with tariffs connected Canadian aluminum and alloy adjacent week.

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