Manitoba’s Progressive Conservative opposition is pressing Ontario Premier Doug Ford to reverse his decision to pull Crown Royal from LCBO shelves, warning the move risks hurting Canadian workers and fuelling interprovincial trade tensions.

In a letter sent to Ford this Friday, Manitoba Opposition Leader Obby Khan appealed to the premier as a “fellow Progressive Conservative Leader,” urging him to reconsider removing the Manitoba-made whisky from Ontario liquor stores.

“I would like you to reconsider your decision to remove Manitoba-made Crown Royal from LCBO shelves next month,” Khan wrote in the letter. “Manitoba workers in the town of Gimli proudly produce Canada’s best whiskey.”

Federal Conservative MPs criticize Premier Ford’s plan to remove Crown Royal from LCBO

Khan argued that conservative leaders should be aligned in supporting Canadian industries and avoiding policies that could undermine jobs in other provinces, particularly during a period of broader economic uncertainty.

“As Canadian conservative leaders, we should be working together to attract investment and create new jobs across Canada,” he wrote, warning that a Crown Royal boycott in Ontario could jeopardize jobs in Manitoba.

The appeal comes as Ford has doubled down on his pledge to remove Crown Royal from provincial liquor stores, framing the move as a way to protect Ontario jobs after Diageo announced the closure of its Amherstburg bottling facility, which will result in roughly 200 job losses.

While the whisky is distilled and aged in Gimli, Manitoba, Diageo has said all Crown Royal sold in Canada will continue to be bottled domestically, with production shifting from Amherstburg to Quebec.

Derek Johnson, MLA for Interlake–Gimli, said Ford’s decision risks creating unnecessary trade barriers between provinces and called for a coordinated national response instead.

“I really think that if Premier Ford got together with the other premiers across the country, we could have a unified front and send a unified message to Diageo,” Johnson said in an interview. “So we are not putting up these provincial barriers amongst ourselves.”

Johnson said targeting a Canadian-made product sends the wrong signal at a time when economic uncertainty is already putting pressure on domestic industries.

“Of all times, this is the time to become unified as Canada,” he said.

He said that the economic impact of Crown Royal extends beyond the distillery in Gimli, affecting farmers, suppliers and local businesses across the region.

“It’s not just the jobs at the plant,” Johnson said. “It’s all the ripple effects that come with it. (…) especially in my backyard of Interlake-Gimli, we have to realize that these are real families, real paychecks and a real community.”

Johnson also rejected calls for Manitoba to retaliate by pulling Ontario products, such as wine, from its own liquor stores, saying that approach would only escalate tensions.

“That’s the last thing we need, interprovincial trade wars,” he said.

Khan’s letter had this same tone.

“I appeal to you as a fellow Progressive Conservative Leader to leave Crown Royal on LCBO shelves next month and into the future and work together to attract new investment to Ontario and Manitoba,” he wrote.

Premier Ford’s office didn’t reply by the time of publication about whether Ford would reconsider his decision.

with files from Marco Vigliotti