Manitoba premier urges Ford to drop Crown Royal ban
The premier of Canadian province Manitoba, Wab Kinew, is calling on Ontario leader Doug Ford to backtrack on his plans to boycott Crown Royal from stores.
The Ontario premier recently committed to banning Canadian whisky Crown Royal from Liquor Control Board of Ontario (LCBO) stores across the province next month, once parent company Diageo closes a bottling plant for the brand in Amherstburg.
The move will affect approximately 200 jobs in the Ontarian town, but Diageo has made clear that it still intends to produce and bottle Crown Royal in Canada. It operates production facilities in Gimli, Manitoba, and Valleyfield, Quebec, as well as corporate headquarters and warehouses in Ontario.
In a press conference this week in Manitoba, Kinew spoke out against Ford’s boycott, urging him to not move forward with the ban.
Speaking to reporters in front of a purple Crown Royal truck at the brand’s facility in Gimli, the Manitoba premier said the company “employs tons of Canadians – we’re talking about good paying Canadian jobs supporting our Canadian community here by producing Crown Royal”.
Kinew continued: “I’m here to show support for the workers here and to let the folks here in Gimli know that we got their back.
“I’m calling on premier Ford to stop his plan when it comes to LCBO taking Crown off the shelves. Now we know that he’s got his issues with Diageo, but here in Manitoba, we’re very, very proud of this iconic Canadian brand that has been putting people to work in this community for many, many years.”
He told reporters that he had called Ford earlier that day and invited him to an ice hockey game, the Toronto Maple Leafs versus the Winnipeg Jets, this Sunday in Winnipeg to discuss the issue.
“We can settle this thing, put a smile on the faces of people here in Gimli and put this episode behind us,” the Manitoba leader said.
Call for united front
Kinew stressed that Canada must “stay united across the provinces”, adding that local jobs should not be put at risk.
Ford’s plan to axe Crown Royal has also drawn criticism from the United Food and Commercial Workers International Union (UFCW), which warned the move would threaten hundreds of jobs in Manitoba and Quebec.
Ford, speaking to reporters at the Ontario legislature, said he spoke with Kinew by phone earlier on Tuesday (13 January). Ford insists he won’t back down on the boycott, adding that he has a “phenomenal relationship” with the Manitoba premier.
“I’m not reconsidering,” he reiterated to reporters.
“[Kinew] is doing his job. He’s trying to protect jobs in Manitoba. I’m protecting jobs here in Ontario and he respects that. I respect him,” Ford said.
Ford believes that Diageo will shift Crown Royal’s entire production to its new plant in Alabama, US, despite the fact that the brand could not be legally labelled as ‘Canadian whisky’ if such a move happened.
Diageo has kept quiet since Ford announced the Crown Royal boycott would go ahead last week. The London-headquartered drinks giant also owns brands such as Smirnoff vodka and Johnnie Walker whisky.
In his first press conference of 2026, Ford confirmed he would not extend the ban to Diageo’s wider portfolio, despite previous threats.
Manitoba recently reported that sales of American alcohol reached CA$6.9 million (US$4.9m) in December, following the decision to make the products available to the public again.
Most Canadian provinces removed American products from shelves last spring in response to US president Donald Trump’s tariffs.
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