On September 8, the White House announced a near-total ban on Canadian spirits, wine, and beer entering the United States, effective September 29. It’s framed as retaliation for the eight provinces that pulled American alcohol off their shelves in 2025, and it lands on top of the 50 per cent tariff that took effect this past August. Whatever the politics behind it, the result for our members is the same: another cost imposed on Canadian breweries that has nothing to do with the beer they make.
Here’s the part worth sitting with. Our federal government does not control what Washington does next. Trade retaliation is decided in the U.S., not in Ottawa. But there is one lever entirely within Ottawa’s control, and it’s the one we’ve been asking Finance to pull for two years: excise tax reform.
The temporary 50 per cent excise reduction on the first 15,000 hectolitres brewed, extended this past April, works. It puts roughly $1,000 a year back into the smallest breweries and as much as $90,000 into our larger independents. But it’s temporary, and it stops helping the moment a brewery grows past 15,000 hL, which is exactly when many of them need it most. It’s time for Finance to finish the job: make the reduction permanent and extend meaningful relief through 500,000 hL brewed. Ottawa can’t stop a foreign government from closing its border. It can stop taxing our breweries like the problem is theirs to fix.
Taking that case back to Ottawa
This fall, I’ll be in Ottawa for a series of meetings with Ministers, MPs, and senior officials across Finance, Tourism, Small Business, and Agriculture. The ask hasn’t changed: permanent, graduated excise relief, structured for the industry as it actually operates today. We’re also hosting “Pints on Parliament Hill,” a reception where elected officials and political staff get to not only appreciate a variety of craft beer but also appreciate the impact our sector has on jobs and local communities across our nation.
Where to find me this fall
I’ll also be on the road for the fall conference circuit, and I’d like to connect with as many of you as possible in person:
- Canada Beer Cup Gala, Calgary, October 8
- Alberta Small Brewers Association Conference, Calgary, October 9
- BC Craft Brewers Guild Conference, New Westminster, October 15 and 16
- Ontario Craft Brewers Conference, Hamilton, November 4 and 5
- AMBQ Conference, Quebec City, November 23 to 25
If you’re at any of these, come find me. What I hear from members in hallways and at booths shapes what we bring into the room in Ottawa as much as anything else does.
Cheers.