Quebec Finance Minister, Éric Girard announced on Thursday evening that the SAQ would donate the $300,000 worth of American alcohol that the province has banned from stores rather than destroying it — as some products are set to expire.
Earlier on Thursday, the Quebec liquor board, known as the SAQ, said that it may be forced to destroy the stock, which represents only a small portion of the $27 million of American products in storage, unless the government changes its guidelines.
The provincial government on March 4 ordered the state-owned corporation to empty shelves of U.S. alcohol in response to tariffs imposed by President Donald Trump.
Since then, U.S. alcohol purchased before the boycott has been kept in storage.
En mars 2025, notre gouvernement a décidé de retirer les produits américains des points de vente de la SAQ en guise de mesure de représailles contre l’imposition de tarifs américains injustifiés sur les produits canadiens et québécois.
“I made sure that the SAQ would take the necessary steps to ensure that American products that expire can be given priority to foundations, as part of charity events, and used for training in Quebec hotel schools,” Girard said in a social media post to X.
“Obviously, these organizations will have to comply with the applicable donation and sponsorship policy,” he added. “I count on the collaboration of the SAQ and all of its partners to carry out this operation successfully, and I thank them for their solidarity in the face of this exceptional situation.”
Affected products are mainly rosé and boxed wines, ready-to-drink cocktails, and certain beers and liqueurs not suitable for prolonged storage.
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Since March, Girard explained that sales of Quebec products have surged, with increases of 30 per cent to 60 per cent depending on the product category.
“In March 2025, our government decided to remove American products from SAQ outlets as a retaliatory measure against the imposition of unjustified American tariffs on Canadian and Quebec products,” he said in the X post.
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In June, liquor board president and CEO Jacques Farcy said the American products had not yet lost their value. “These are not fresh or perishable products,” he said at the time. “So these products retain their value. If things drag on, there may be further discussions.”
He indicated it would be up to the Quebec government to decide when the liquor board could resume selling American alcohol.
In March, several other provinces including Ontario and Alberta also directed their liquor regulators to stop buying American products, while B.C. banned liquor from “red states” that voted for Trump in the 2024 election.
However, Alberta and Saskatchewan have since reversed those decisions and are once again allowing the sale of U.S. alcohol.
—With files from The Canadian Press
