Ontario Premier Doug Ford again warned drinks multinational Diageo that it will “pay dearly” for its plans to close a local bottling plant, as the Crown Royal maker presses ahead with the move.
On Friday, Ford was asked more questions about the decision by Diageo to close a Crown Royal bottling facility in Amherstburg, Ont.
The premier has flirted with the idea of removing Crown Royal from the shelves of the LCBO in response, though his government says no final decision will be made on that until the plant actually closes in February.
“How can you go after your largest customer?” Ford mused on Friday.
“The people’s business is the LCBO; the people of Ontario own the LCBO. We’re their largest customer in North America, we do $740 million of business with Diageo. Who in their right mind would go after their largest customer?”
The premier’s office said it was too soon to say if Ford’s threat now extends beyond removing Crown Royal from the LCBO to all Diageo products, adding that “every option is on the table.”
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Johnnie Walker, Guinness, Tanqueray, Baileys, Smirnoff, Captain Morgan’s and Gordon’s are among the company’s vast empire of alcohol products.
“They think I’m bluffing? I’m not one to bluff,” Ford added on Friday.
“I promise you that Diageo will pay the price and they’re going to pay dearly. We’ll just wait until the last person walks out that door and then we’ll act.”
Ford’s critics have questioned his vague, hard-line approach to the plant closure, where around 200 jobs will be lost, suggesting it’s bad for investment.
“By pouring out that bottle, it’s suggesting a boycott — maybe that’s what the premier was saying,” Liberal MPP John Fraser previously said.
“It is very much a performance. We should be more thoughtful and disciplined. This isn’t just about relationships; we want companies to stay here. We can’t run around calling them names, even when they do something we don’t like.”
Diegeo has said the decision to close its Ontario facility has nothing to do with tariffs from United States President Donald Trump, and said it made similar decisions in the United States, Italy and Scotland.
Ford remained resolute on Friday, without offering any details of what he was threatening to do.
“I’m going to protect that community with everything I have, and that’s one of the tools I have,” he said.
“So it sends a message — if you’re dealing with the government of Ontario, and we’re your largest customer, not just in Canada in North America, you have to support us, you have to support the people.”
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