Why Canadian beer cans are ‘almost impossible’ as tariffs near 1-year mark

As Canada pivots away from U.S.-reliant supply chains, beer makers say they have little choice to move away from U.S.-made aluminum cans, a packaging staple for the industry.

When Ottawa-based Dominion City Brewing put out a call to breweries across the country last year to collaborate on a beer made with “100 per cent Canadian ingredients,” there was at least one component they knew they’d need to import from south of the border — the can itself.

“We brewed an all-Canadian beer — all Canadian, but for the aluminum can, which we could not source in Canada,” Dominion City co-founder Josh McJannet said in an interview with Global News.

As Canada pivots away from U.S.-reliant supply chains and as consumers double down on the “Buy Canadian” sentiment, McJannet says a lot of Canadians might not realize it’s “nearly impossible” to find certain kinds of aluminum beer cans made here at home.

“The 473-millilitre tall can is the standard for beer, and particularly independent beer in Ontario,” McJannet said. “What a lot of people probably don’t know is that there’s actually no Canadian source for a truly Canadian-made tall can.”

It’s one example of how costs add up for consumers as U.S. tariffs approach the one-year mark next month on aluminum and steel products, and despite efforts such as those from McJannet’s brewery to connect and support domestic producers across the industry.

U.S. President Donald Trump announced 25 per cent tariffs on steel and aluminum on Feb. 13, 2025, then increased those to 50 per cent days before they came into effect on March 13, 2025.

McJannet says since then, the cost per unit of procuring a can has jumped from around 15 cents to around 35 cents per unit for his business.

And they’re not alone.