Whisky Wars: Manitoba and Ontario Clash Over Crown Royal

Wed Jan 14 2026 22:47:42 GMT+0200 (Eastern European Standard Time)

A confrontation between Ontario and Manitoba unfolds as Ontario Premier Doug Ford takes drastic measures against Crown Royal whisky, impacting jobs and cross-provincial relations.

The dispute arose after Diageo, the maker of Crown Royal, announced the closure of its Ontario bottling plant, prompting Ontario Premier Doug Ford to call for a boycott of the whisky. Manitoba Premier Wab Kinew is urging Ford to reconsider, fearing job losses in his province as Crown Royal is a key employer in Gimli, Manitoba. This situation highlights the tensions amidst a unified "Team Canada" front against US tariffs.

A British-owned, Canadian-made whisky is at the centre of a spat between two provinces that is testing a unified Team Canada approach in the face of US tariffs.

It started after the whisky maker, Diageo, said it will shut down a bottling plant in Ontario to move it closer to US consumers.

Soon after, Ontario Premier Doug Ford angrily poured out a bottle of Crown Royal in front of reporters, and now says the product will be removed from provincial liquor stores. This has alarmed neighbouring Manitoba, where a Crown Royal distillery is a key employer in the small town of Gimli.

In a symbolic visit to the Gimli distillery, Manitoba Premier Wab Kinew urged Ford to do a 180.

We understand, Doug, that you get fired up and say things in public, Kinew said. But we also understand that you do the right thing when you have a chance to reconsider.

The row over Crown Royal – a Canadian whisky brand introduced during the 1939 royal tour of Canada by King George VI – dates back to August when Diageo first announced it would close its Amherstburg, Ontario, facility after five decades of operations.

The UK-based company stated last summer that it planned to close the plant in February as part of a restructuring to improve its North American supply chain, and to Ford's dismay, move bottling operations closer to the US.

Here's what I think about Crown Royal, Ford said shortly after, before pouring an entire bottle of the whisky on the ground during a news conference and calling Diageo owners dumb as a bag of hammers.

He vowed to hurt the firm and urged Canadians to boycott the product.

While Diageo has not made any announcements about moving operations to the US, Ford has speculated that they will, stating, It's all going to Alabama, mark my words.

Ford vowed to remove Crown Royal from the shelves in Ontario where liquor stores are operated by the province and is the largest wholesale purchaser of alcohol in North America. Manitoba is now pleading with Ford to change course.

The Crown Royal distillery is a major business driver in Gimli, which has a population of about 2,300, according to Premier Kinew.

Kinew cautioned that Ford's actions could inadvertently hurt Canadians, stating, When we're talking about Team Canada, we have to stay united across the provinces. Having a Team Canada approach can't mean targeting jobs in another province.

Ford's response to Diageo has garnered support from local unions representing over 200 workers affected by the Amherstburg plant's closure. Unifor National President Lana Payne praised Ford’s stance as a way to challenge a trade war.

Despite the tension, Kinew invited Ford to Manitoba for a friendly ice hockey game to discuss the situation and potentially resolve the issue, yet Ford remains adamant saying, No, I'm not reconsidering.