Ford’s Crown Royal ban draws union backlash
A union has slammed Ontario premier Doug Ford’s boycott of Crown Royal whisky, claiming he is “attacking the livelihoods of hundreds of Canadian workers”.
Earlier this week in a press conference, Ford confirmed he would ban Crown Royal from Liquor Control Board of Ontario (LCBO) stores across the province next month.
The move was made in response to Diageo’s plan to shut a bottling plant for the Canadian whisky brand in Amherstburg, Ontario, which was announced last summer. The move will affect approximately 200 jobs.
UK-headquartered Diageo has made clear that it still intends to produce and bottle Crown Royal in Canada. It operates production facilities in Manitoba and Quebec, as well as corporate headquarters and warehouses in Ontario.
Going forward, Crown Royal bottles designated for Canada and non-US export markets will be bottled at the Valleyfield plant in Quebec. Bottling of Crown Royal for the American market will shift to Diageo’s US sites.
Ford has been outspoken in his criticism of Diageo since it announced the closure last August, publicly emptying a bottle of Crown Royal whisky to the ground in protest.
However, in response to Ford’s latest press conference, the United Food and Commercial Workers International Union (UFCW) has called out the premier for threatening “hundreds of good Canadian union jobs in Manitoba and Quebec”.
The union said it “stands in solidarity with the food workers in Amherstburg who are losing their livelihoods”.
The UFCW believes Diageo is closing the site partly in response to ongoing US tariffs.
The union criticised Ford for his actions, including the removal of Crown Royal from LCBO stores, calling it an attack on the livelihoods of hundreds of Canadian workers at the remaining Crown Royal distilleries: UFCW 832 members in Gimli, Manitoba, and UFCW 501 members in Valleyfield, Quebec.
It pointed out that the bottles of Crown Royal across Canadian retail shelves continue to be made by union members.
Diageo employs 500-plus people across Canada, including more than 100 in Ontario (beyond those currently working at the Amherstburg site).
Call for solidarity
The UFCW warned that a “boycott is not the answer”.
“As usual, Doug Ford is serving up another straight pour of betrayal to Canadian workers,” said Barry Sawyer, UFCW Canada national president. “’Elbows up’ doesn’t just mean ‘elbows up for Ontario’; ‘elbows up’ means all Canadian workers need to stand together in solidarity.
“Since when does Doug Ford start caring about good union jobs in Ontario? This is the same premier who is attacking The Beer Store, costing the province thousands of union jobs, which have not been replaced.”
In early 2024, Ontario made an agreement with The Beer Store (TSB) to end its retail monopoly in the province, enabling grocery, convenience and big-box stores to sell beer, wine and ready-to-drink beverages.
The UFCW also represents TSB employees.
Last month, Diageo struck a shutdown deal for union workers at the Crown Royal plant in Amherstburg, triggering efforts to find a new employer for the site.
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