Montreal (QC): The Canadian Taxpayers Federation is calling on the Quebec government and the SAQ to stop wasting money managing unsold U.S. alcohol products.

“Millions of dollars worth of alcohol is gathering dust in SAQ warehouses while taxpayers foot the bill for storage and handling,” said Nicolas Gagnon, CTF Quebec Director.  “Instead of generating revenue for public services, these products are sitting in warehouses while taxpayers pay the storage bill.” 

The SAQ spent at least $2.3 million removing U.S. products from sale between March 4, 2025, and March 28, 2026, according to documents obtained by the Canadian Taxpayers Federation through an access-to-information request.

The costs include storage, handling, inventory financing and the donation of U.S. products to Quebec organizations.

The Crown corporation says the costs remain preliminary and continue to increase as activities related to the removal of U.S. products continue.

American products were pulled from shelves on March 4, 2025, at the request of the Quebec government in response to trade tensions between Canada and the United States.

About six months after the boycott began, approximately $27 million worth of U.S. alcohol was reportedly sitting in SAQ warehouses.

The SAQ also acknowledged earlier this year that up to $8.6 million worth of American products risked deteriorating while sitting in storage, forcing the corporation to begin selling certain products before they expired.

The SAQ has not released any analysis showing how the policy affected overall sales or revenues. 

The situation mirrors concerns raised in Ontario, where the LCBO recently acknowledged that roughly $2 million worth of U.S. alcohol inventory had expired or was at risk of expiring.

“We now know taxpayers paid at least $2.3 million to store products that could have been sold, but the SAQ is still refusing to show the complete financial impact of this decision,” Gagnon said. “Quebecers deserve transparency on every dollar spent and every dollar lost.” 

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