Conservatives say the B.C. government should follow the lead of other provinces and put U.S.-made liquor back on store shelves.
Acting as the BC Conservative’s critic for public safety, MLA for West Kelowna-Peachland Macklin McCall tells 1130 NewsRadio that with no signs that the trade war will end, the booze is just sitting in warehouses.
CLICK HERE TO LISTEN TO 1130 NEWSRADIO VANCOUVER LIVE!Government-managed liquor distributors in at least four provinces, including Manitoba, Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island and Newfoundland and Labrador, have resumed selling their inventory after pulling U.S.-made liquor from store shelves in February and March.
“Find a way to sell it off,” McCall advised the B.C. government. “And then they can donate it all to the food banks here in British Columbia.”
Currently, he says, storing the liquor only costs money.
“So put it back into a charity that will give back to the community — which could be millions of dollars,” he suggested.
Manitoba’s Liquor Mart says the province will still not import American-made liquor, and those products will not be restocked as they sell out.
Earlier this week, Ontario Premier Doug Ford said his government has no plan to sell its stock for fear it could harm local producers.
In Ontario, an estimated $80 million worth is in storage, and about $2 million worth could expire in the next six months.
McCall says he has not heard an official estimate for the value of B.C.’s stockpile, but rumours that it may be worth tens of millions of dollars as well.
Premier David Eby has not yet commented on the idea.
Eby is expected to speak publicly at an unrelated media event at noon Wednesday in Vancouver.
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—With files from The Canadian Press