Carney asks provinces to end bans on U.S. alcohol sales as part of trade deal

Prime Minister Mark Carney has asked Canadian provinces to lift their bans on selling American alcohol as part of ongoing trade deal talks with the US. According to Nova Scotia Premier Tim Houston, Carney made the request pending a final deal. Almost all provinces currently ban the sale of US alcohol, with Alberta and Saskatchewan being the exceptions.

The bans have been a point of contention with the US, and Carney's request aims to address this issue. Ontario Premier Doug Ford has previously expressed frustration with US President Trump's approach to trade relations and defended Ontario's ban on US booze, calling Trump a "bully".

The request comes as Canada finalizes a trade deal with the US, with a deadline extension having been granted. The details of what Canada will give up and what it will get in exchange remain unclear, according to The New York Times.

Brief written by urgent.news from National Post, Toronto Sun, CityNews, Winnipeg Free Press, The New York Times — 5 reports on this story. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.