Air Canada still carrying U.S. alcohol as Ottawa pushes ‘Buy Canadian’

Air Canada says it is continuing to carry and serve American alcohol for its in-flight catering services, despite provincial boycotts of those products and a whole-of-government push for companies and consumers to choose Canadian products.

That “Buy Canadian” movement has been accelerated once again this week as the trade war between Canada and the U.S. intensified, with Ottawa on Tuesday announcing new counter-tariffs in retaliation for new 50 per cent duties from the U.S. after trade talks collapsed on Friday.

“As a global airline transporting international customers including to and from the U.S., Air Canada carries a range of onboard products that reflects our customer preferences,” a spokesperson told Global News in a statement late Monday.

“We always feature at least one Canadian wine on every international flight, and we’ve made a deliberate shift toward Canadian spirits and Canadian producers. In addition to the range of Canadian products we proudly feature, we also carry some internationally recognized products that are particularly important to our global customer base, including U.S. bourbon.”

Global News asked Canadian air carriers whether they still stock U.S. alcohol after a Reddit post on Monday claimed Air Canada was serving Jack Daniel’s in business class on a flight from Montreal. The post was later removed from the “Buy Canadian” subreddit by moderators, who said posts about U.S. products should be limited to a separate subreddit focused on boycotts of American goods.

Porter Airlines told Global News it does not currently serve any U.S. alcohol products on its flights. The Toronto-based airline operates multiple international routes, including to more than a dozen U.S. cities as well as Mexico and the Caribbean.

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“Porter is a Canadian airline and we emphasize partnering with high-quality Canadian brands whenever possible,” a spokesperson said in an email. “Porter is proud to offer Jackson Triggs wine from Niagara and Alberta-based Tumbler & Rocks cocktails.”

The spokesperson later said, “That’s correct,” when asked to clarify if their statement meant no U.S. alcohol is being served and that the Canadian products it mentioned are the only brands it carries.

WestJet and Air Transat did not respond to multiple requests for comment.

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During a press conference Tuesday announcing Canada’s new counter-tariffs and government supports for tariff-affected businesses, Industry Minister Melanie Joly urged Canadians to buy Canadian-made products wherever possible.

“When you choose a Canadian product, you’re not only putting pressure on the U.S., right now you’re protecting jobs,” she said.

“That’s how we can launch this movement of resistance to what is happening to us.”

Global News has asked Joly’s office if the minister is aware that Air Canada is still serving U.S. alcohol on its flights.

American alcohol has emerged as one of the biggest sticking points in the Canada-U.S. trade war, after provincially regulated liquor boards stopped ordering U.S. wine, beer and spirits, and some provinces pulled those products from store shelves entirely.

Prime Minister Mark Carney had asked premiers to lift the boycotts last week when it appeared the two countries were about to finalize a new trade deal. Some premiers had expressed unease over the potential change and questioned whether Canadians would resume buying those products if they returned to stores.

Nearly seven in 10 Canadians (69 per cent) in British Columbia, Ontario, Manitoba and the four Atlantic provinces said their provincial governments should keep the restrictions on American alcohol in place, new survey data released by Abacus Data revealed earlier this month.

Only 19 per cent want American products returned to store shelves, while 11 per cent are unsure, the survey of 1,363 adults added.

The collapse of the trade talks last week has led to provinces and territories reaffirming their boycotts. Alberta and Saskatchewan resumed U.S. alcohol orders last summer.

Airlines are not subject to the provincial and territorial boycotts because catering products like food and liquor move through federally regulated customs-bonded warehouse facilities overseen by the Canada Border Services Agency. Such shipments are not subject to tariffs as they’re considered to be in transit within Canada or international territory.