From keeping booze boycotts to withholding energy, premiers talk how to hit back at Trump

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As U.S. President Donald Trump takes another swing to Canada's economy, the country's premiers are musing about whether retaliatory measures are needed to, as Ontario's Doug Ford put it, "hit him back as hard as we can."

The country's provincial and territorial leaders are gathered in Charlottetown for their annual summer meeting which has taken on a new sense of urgency after Washington's announcement that it will impose 50 per cent tariffs on a range of goods on Aug. 19.

Prime Minister Mark Carne y held a call briefing the premiers on Tuesday after he and Trump "agreed to intensify negotiations in the coming weeks." Carney will also head to Charlottetown to hold face-to-face meetings with the premiers.

According to sources who were part of the discussion, Carney told the pre miers that the government needs to prepare options if it doesn't land a deal they're comfortable with — which could include retaliatory tariffs. The sources were not authorized to speak about the call publicly.

Ontario Premier Doug Ford has been advocating publicly for a more aggressive approach to this White House, saying he's tired of the bully trying to take our lunch money all the time.

Not long after land ing in Prince Edward Island, Ford resurrected his suggestion Canada cut off energy supplies to its southern neighbour.

"We are an energy powerhouse and we could dismantle the U.S. if we wanted to," he said.

"The potash, the oil, we're their number-one customer in the world, they need to feel the pain rather than us constantly feeling the pain."

WATCH | Smith says Ford's threats against U.S. 'not going to happen': Smith says Ford's threats against U.S. 'not going to happen' | Duration 1:42 Alberta Premier Danielle Smith says Ontario Premier Doug Ford's suggestion that Canada use potash and oil to hit back against the latest tariff threats by U.S. President Donald Trump won't happen. 'I think we we just need to get down to the hard work of getting to the table,' Smith told reporters in Charlottetown on Tuesday.

New Brunswick Premier Susan Holt said leveraging energy is something premiers have talked about.

"We do sell a lot of energy products to New England. We put gas in their cars, we put jet fuel in their fighter jets and we heat and cool their homes," she said .

"So we know that we have those kinds of tools at our disposal should we need them."

New Brunswick Premier Susan Holt says the provinces have many tools to use against the latest tariff threat. (Darren Calabrese/The Canadian Press)

B.C. Premier David Eby said he's "supportive of Canada retaliating and ensuring that the Americans understand why the rest of the world wants what we have here."

But f urther retaliation is far from a unanimous take around the premiers' table.

Leaving the call with Carney, Alberta Premier Danielle Smith said point bla nk that w ithholding energy is "not going to happen."

Saskatchewan Premier Scott Moe has also flatly rejected the idea of using potash and energy as a leverage point and Quebec Premier Christine Fréchette sai d she's "no t there."

The U.S. said the new tariffs are in response to what it sees as Canada's retaliation against American trade policy and discrimination against its m otor vehicles, dairy and alcohol.

Speaking in the Oval Office on Tuesday, Trump said he loves Canada but it has been "very, very tough" on the U.S. for years.

"They need us to survive. Without us, there's no way they can survive," Trump said.

The LCBO, along with much of the country, removed American wine and spirits from store shelves last year. (Evan Mitsui/CBC)

There's also some division on what to do with the the U.S. alcohol boycotts that were put in place after Trump's previous round of tariffs on things like the auto sector, steel and aluminum.

Only Alberta and Saskatchewan, which both have privatized alcohol retail sales systems, still offer U.S. booze.

The widespread rejection of American alcohol became an irritant for the White House as U.S. exports of wine, beer and spirits to Canada have plummeted, making them a leverage point in ongoing trade negotiations.

WATCH | Carney says changes to booze bans should be part of larger deal: Carney: Lifting of U.S. alcohol ban should be part of wider trade deal | Duration 0:51 Prime Minister Mark Carney responds to whether provinces putting U.S. alcohol back on store shelves could help with contentious trade negotiations – especially as U.S. President Donald Trump is threatening new 50 per cent tariffs on a range of Canadian exports.

Carney said it's on the provinces to decide to restock or not.

"The decision to change that, first and foremost, will be taken by the provinces themselves, each individually, and should only be taken, in my view, as part of an overall agreement. And that's what we'll work to accomplish," he told reporters.

Earlier in the day Moe said he expected the federal government to at some point ask the provinces to relent.

"But that ask should come from the federal government. They're at the negotiating table. They'll know the sensitivities," he said.

Eby said "there is not a chance in hell that U.S. alcohol is going back on the shelf" in his province.

"The one way to embolden a bully is to capitulate. And I don't think we should embolden Mr. Trump, who clearly is a bully," he said.

WATCH | Eby says U.S. booze not going back on B.C. shelves: Not a chance in hell' U.S. booze going back on B.C. shelves: Eby | Duration 0:43 B.C. Premier David Eby, reacting Tuesday to the latest U.S. tariff announcement, said Canada's 'integrity is intact' and reiterated his unwillingness to return U.S. alcohol to shelves after President Donald Trump's latest move to hike levies on Canadian products.

Eby also said he has asked staff to contact the U.S. Embassy to have his government's statement marking the two countries' friendship removed from the U.S. 250th birthday website, adding he feels "sorry for Americans."

Ford has also been vocal that he won't back down without seeing changes. The Liquor Control Board of Ontario (LCBO) is one of the largest alcohol retailers in the world.

The premiers will continue their meetings on Wednesday and Thursday.