Carney nearly begged premiers to put U.S. booze back on shelves to secure deal: Kinew

Manitoba Premier Wab Kinew said he wishes Canada pushed harder against the U.S. in trade negotiations, but that he understands where Prime Minister Mark Carney is coming from in his bid to seal a deal.

Carney briefed the premiers on Wednesday about the agreement with the U.S. to stop punishing new tariffs and address longstanding ones on major industries including steel, forestry and autos.

Kinew said he's still waiting for some details, including the exact nature of what tariffs will be on steel and aluminum, but he said doesn't think Canada should concede much because Canada has "the upper hand."

"I think we should fight," he said. "I think Donald Trump is very weak. I think America is weaker around the world today than it was a year ago. He's about to get slaughtered in the midterms. And the cost of living is the number one issue. And he is completely out of touch with the cost of living of Americans."

Still, Kinew said he's on Team Canada. The premier said Carney "effectively" told them there would be no deal without a pledge to put U.S. alcohol back on the shelves. 

"I wouldn't say that he was begging us, but what is a step before begging? So I get it from his perspective," Kinew said during a press conference in Winnipeg Thursday.

All provinces pulled U.S. booze in 2025 after President Donald Trump began hammering Canada with tariffs, and all but Alberta and Saskatchewan still have their bans in place.

Kinew said he'd consider returning it but said that doesn't mean he thinks people should buy it.

"When we put the American booze back on the Liquor Mart shelves, Canadians, leave it there. Spend your money on Canadian products that are going to employ people in our country and that have an administration that respects Canada," Kinew said.

Returning U.S. liquor to Manitoba's shelves is expected to take a few weeks, should it happen, in order to get labels printed with both French and English printed, Kinew said.

Canada-U.S. Trade Minister Dominic LeBlanc was back in Washington on Thursday to meet again with U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer as work continues to finalize a deal to avert a new round of U.S. tariffs.

U.S. President Donald Trump announced Tuesday that he was pausing punishing new tariffs on Canada for three days pending the finalization of a new trade deal.

Details of the deal are scant but it is expected to address U.S. tariffs on steel, aluminum, lumber, and autos, some U.S. concerns about limited access to Canada's dairy market, as well as Canada's retaliatory tariffs on autos and provincial bans on U.S. alcohol imports.

LeBlanc and Canada's chief negotiator Janice Charette did not respond to reporter questions when they arrived for their meeting with Greer, but LeBlanc said "we brought some friends from Ottawa."

Carney spoke with Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum Thursday and the two talked about evolving North American trade, according to a readout issued by his office.Both leaders stressed the importance of renewing the Canada -United States-Mexico Agreement, or CUSMA, as soon as possible.

LeBlanc had been in Washington since Aug. 10 but returned briefly to Ottawa Wednesday to brief Prime Minister Mark Carney on the status of talks and take part in meetings Carney held with his cabinet, and later the country's premiers.

Some premiers say they're optimistic about Canada's progress in reaching a trade deal to avoid punishing tariffs from the United States, while others say they're waiting for more details about the agreement.

Quebec Premier Christine Frechette said in French she had a "long call" with Carney Thursday.

"'I had several answers to questions I had asked. Now, we need to analyze those answers and evaluate the impact it represents on Quebec’s economy. Once that analysis will be done, I will come back to you with my position," Frechette said in French during a press conference in Roberval, Que.

Multiple news reports have said the deal will see the United States lower sectoral tariffs on Canadian steel and aluminum. Bloomberg and The Wall Street Journal both reported the duties would be reduced from the current 50 per cent levels to 25 per cent.

The Manitoba premier said he's still waiting to hear specifics on potential U.S. tariff rates on steel and aluminum, pointing to a steel plant in Selkirk, Man.

A source with knowledge of some terms of the agreement but who is not authorized to speak publicly about them told The Canadian Press that lower duties on steel and aluminum were part of the deal but could not say how the tariff rate would change.

Ontario Premier Doug Ford, whose province faces significant impacts from the tariffs on steel and autos, has yet to comment.

Bloc Québécois Leader Yves-Francois Blanchet sent a letter to Carney Thursday morning demanding federal opposition leaders be consulted on a potential deal with the U.S. 

Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre said Wednesday he has not received a briefing on the potential deal nor the negotiations. 

Carney has yet to speak publicly about the deal, but in a statement released Wednesday he said the new deal reinforces and builds on Canada's existing trade advantages with the U.S.

Trump on Wednesday said it was a "good deal for everybody" and repeated claims that the agreement would drop tariffs on American farmers to zero. He said the Trump administration has a "very nice relationship with leadership right now."

When asked whether the duties on Canadian steel and aluminum would be lowered, he responded that "we may bring some of the tariffs down to a level where other countries are because Canada was paying a higher tariff."

In July, Trump said he would impose a new 50 per cent tariff on a wide range of Canadians goods, valued at about $28 billion, in retaliation for Canada's booze bans, auto tariffs and quotas on tariff-free access for U.S. dairy.

They were set to come into effect just after midnight Wednesday, but that deadline was pushed back until Saturday to allow time to turn the agreed upon deal into a legal agreement.

"We certainly, I think, have eliminated some of the irritants that we've had over the past year," Greer said Wednesday. "We also are taking a strong foot forward."

Unlike other tariffs, the duties that are on pause would affect goods that are compliant with the Canada-U.S.-Mexico Agreement, or CUSMA, on trade. The tariffs would be placed on a wide variety of goods from hockey sticks to honey and concrete to plywood. 

This report by The Canadian Press was first publish Aug. 20, 2026.

— With files from Kelly Geraldine Malone in Washington and Catherine Morrison in Ottawa.