Ontario Premier poured out a bottle of whiskey to protest the closure of the Crown Royal plant

During a press conference, the Prime Minister of Ontario, Doug Ford, poured out an entire bottle of Crown Royal to protest the whiskey producer's decision to close a plant in the province. This was reported by Canadian media, in particular Global News, cbc, CTV.news and others.

Last week, the British company Diageo, one of the world's largest producers of alcoholic beverages, announced that it was going to shut down, announced announced that it will shut down its Crown Royal bottling plant in Amherstburg, Ontario, as part of its bottling operations are being moved to the United States.

The Ontario facility will close in February 2026, resulting in almost 160 people losing their jobs.

Ford noted that Crown Royal is one of Diageo's best-selling products, and the Liquor Control Board of Ontario (LCBO) is the largest customer in North America.

"Who focuses on the largest client? For comparison: 740 million dollars, or three quarters of a billion dollars, is the money that Ontarians are allocating to this company," said the Premier of Ontario.

According to Ford, he begged the company to stay and even offered incentives to keep production in Ontario, but Diageo refused.

Ford then grabbed a bottle of Crown Royal from the bag, opened it, and poured all the contents onto the ground.

"This is what I think about Crown Royal. I think everyone else should do the same. Start supporting the companies that are producing here with the people of Ontario. That's what we need to do – support each other," said the provincial premier as the whiskey poured onto the ground.

According to Diageo, the company will retain a significant presence in Canada, including its headquarters and warehouses in the Greater Toronto Area, as well as bottling and distilling plants in Manitoba and Quebec.

Crown Royal whiskey for export to Canada and markets outside the United States will continue to be bottled in Canada at Diageo's plant in Wellfield, Quebec.

• In May 2025, Diageo estimated the likely losses from US duties of $150 million in annual terms.