Ontario Liberal leader calls on LCBO to pull Russian vodka from shelves

Liberal leader Steven Del Duca is calling on the LCBO to stop all sales of Russian vodka after Thursday’s invasion.

Del Duca wrote an open letter to the liquor board on Friday. He said that stopping sales of Russian vodka would send a statement that the aggression towards Ukraine will not be tolerated.

“Our allies in Ukraine are under attack by Russia and need our help,” wrote Del Duca. “Pulling Russian vodka from the shelves of the LCBO is an immediate action Ontario can take to demonstrate our solidarity with the people of Ukraine.”

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He said that the LCBO is among the largest purchasers of alcohol in the world and that a number of Russian products are available in stores. The letter said that banning the sales would prevent money from going towards the Russian invasion.

The @LCBO must pull Russian Vodka from its shelves. Ontario Liberals are calling on this to happen immediately. We must send a clear message to Putin, including halting all money going to Russia during his Ukraine invasion: https://t.co/taDpyHXvju 1/2#onpoli #StandWithUkriane pic.twitter.com/vANGcuiPG4

— Steven Del Duca (@StevenDelDuca) February 25, 2022

“I appreciate the financial support Ontario has already offered to Ukraine in their fight against Russia, and I hope the LCBO will consider this measure as another way to restrict Russia’s trade,” added Del Duca. “We need to do everything we can to support our allies against the murderous dictator that has invaded Ukraine.”

The LCBO has not yet publicly responded to Del Duca’s letter. It’s not clear how much money Russia would lose if Russian spirits were removed from shelves, but Del Duca asked the LCBO to make a quick decision.

“I urge you to move swiftly on this,” he said.