Canada's internal tariffs force B.C. winery to sell to the U.S.

While politicians are claiming to stand up for Canadians by pulling American liquor off of the shelves in response to U.S. tariffs, small winery owners like Ron Kubek of Lightning Rock Winery in Summerland, British Columbia, have been facing an even greater trade barrier — from within the country.

Existing provincial policies across the country, including under Alberta’s Premier Danielle Smith and B.C.'s David Eby, are making it more expensive for wineries to sell their products to Canadians across provincial boundaries than to be exported abroad.

“Only in Canada do we have this interprovincial tariff,” Kubek told Rebel News during an interview explaining the broken trade system. “So I get treated like a foreigner in my own country.”

According to Kubek, a bottle of his wine that sells for $20 in B.C. ends up costing $35 to $40 in Ontario due to a crushing 71% markup tariff and an additional 4% in other fees.

Faced with such punitive policies, and bearing the responsibility to keep his Canadian staff employed, Kubek also explained how the tariffs have forced him to focus distribution within B.C. and to Americans in Washington state rather than other Canadian provinces.

Drea Humphrey

B.C. Bureau Chief

Based in British Columbia, Drea Humphrey reports on Western Canada for Rebel News. Drea’s reporting is not afraid to challenge political correctness, or ask the tough questions that mainstream media tends to avoid.