Manitoba Premier Wab Kinew has branded Donald Trump a “bad person” who cannot be trusted, as Canadian leaders reluctantly resume stocking American alcohol while trade talks continue between the two nations.
Kinew launched the verbal attack after Prime Minister Mark Carney urged provincial leaders to end their boycott of U.S. liquor. The concession forms part of Canada’s broader strategy to secure a new trade agreement amid Trump’s threat of 50 percent tariffs on Canadian goods.
Wab Kinew delivers a blistering assessment as Canada weighs concessions in US trade negotiations
“Everybody knows the American president by now, he’s erratic, he’s irresponsible, and he’s not to be trusted,” Kinew said. “And this is the person that we were supposed to make a deal with, and we’re going to make additional concessions for it. That’s why I say you can’t make a good deal with a bad person, because who’s to say it’s not going to be undone?” (via the Associated Press)
The Manitoba premier confirmed his province would comply with Carney’s request, but he told Canadians to leave American products sitting on store shelves. “The prime minister really really recommended, and we decided to put the booze back on the shelf.
What I would say to Canadians is ‘leave it there.’ If we put the booze back on the shelves, don’t buy it. Let it sit on the shelf where the liquor mart employees will be putting it and buy the Canadian stuff instead.”
Kinew credited Canadians for maintaining solidarity throughout the tariff dispute. He urged them to continue supporting domestic producers rather than returning to American brands. “We’ve done an amazing job sticking together in the face of Donald Trump’s tariff threats, and I think we should continue to do that.”
Canada-U.S. trade minister Dominic LeBlanc returned from Washington on Thursday following talks with U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer. He signaled that negotiators had made significant headway. “We’re very close,” LeBlanc said. “We continue to make progress.”
Trump has also voiced satisfaction with the framework under discussion, calling it “very fair.” The ongoing negotiations have already delayed $20 billion in tariffs on Canadian goods that were set to take effect Wednesday. That deadline now extends to Saturday.
