WATCH: Doug Ford dumps out Crown Royal whisky in protest of Ontario plant closure

Ontario Premier Doug Ford is expressing outrage over the closure of a Crown Royal bottling plant in Amherstburg, Ont., dumping out a bottle at a press conference and encouraging others to follow suit.

Spirits maker Diageo announced last week that it will cease operations at its bottling facility in southwestern Ontario in February 2026, as it shifts some bottling volume to the United States.

The decision, which will impact around 160 employees, has prompted strong words from Ford, who described the move as “dumb as a bag of hammers.”

“A message to the CEO in France: You hurt my people, I’m going to hurt you,” Ford said Tuesday at an unrelated press conference in Kitchener, Ont. “You’re going to feel the pain in February when these people don’t have a paycheque.”

According to the company, the decision was driven by a need to improve the efficiency and resiliency of its supply chain.

READ MORE: Spirits maker Diageo to close Amherstburg, Ont., bottling facility next year

In a symbolic gesture of defiance, Ford then took out a bottle of Crown Royal and poured its contents onto the ground in front of reporters. He encouraged others to do the same, urging them to boycott the company’s products and instead support Ontario-based whisky makers.

“Start supporting companies that make whisky here,” Ford said as he poured out the alcohol, “buy Ontario, people, that’s what we need to do is support each other.”

Diageo has said it will engage with the community and find ways to support its employees through the transition, and work alongside Unifor to assist unionized workers.

Despite the closure of the Amherstburg, Ont., plant, Diageo said it will still maintain a “significant” presence in Canada. The company will continue operations at its headquarters and warehouse facilities in the Greater Toronto Area, as well as its bottling and distillation operations in Manitoba and Quebec.

Amherstburg Mayor Michael Prue says the closure came as a gut-wrenching surprise to the town and he welcomes Ford’s theatrics.

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“I think it was maybe not the way many people wanted to see a bottle of whisky end up,” Prue said. “But I want to thank Premier Ford for his showmanship and for recognizing what’s involved, and hopefully he can help our town a lot.”

Prue is calling on the premier to help keep Diageo in Amherstburg, Ont., or find a new company to take over the facility and keep the jobs.

Ford said that he asked the company if there were any incentives Ontario could provide to save the jobs but Diageo officials said no.

Colin Mang, an economics professor at McMaster University, says he expects Diageo’s decision will turn off Canadian buyers as many are opting for locally-produced alcohol.

“The Canada-United States-Mexico Agreement is coming up for renewal next summer, and a lot of international companies are looking at this and expecting there to be tariffs across the board on Canadian exports to the U.S.,” Mang said. “This is a pre-emptive move to get ahead of that and move their production into the United States.”

– With files from The Canadian Press

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