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Canadians want to end provincial monopolies on beer, other goods: survey

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Even as the Supreme Court of Canada prepares to hear a historic case on the monopolies held by the provinces on alcohol sales, a new survey suggests the vast majority of Canadians want provincial barriers on booze — and every other legal product — to end.

The Montreal Economic Institute, a right-of-centre think thank, commissioned the survey from the Ipsos polling firm, which polled 1,103 Canadians between Oct. 26 and Nov. 1.

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A total of 89 per cent of respondents said they think Canadians should be able to purchase and transport any legal product from one province to another — a practice that is currently illegal when it comes to alcohol — with 72 per cent of those respondents saying they “strongly supported” the elimination of commercial barriers.

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New Brunswick, Quebec and Ontario have strict laws limiting the transport of alcohol between provinces.

In 2012, the RCMP arrested Gérard Comeau after he returned to his home in New Brunswick after buying beer in Quebec. He was fined for violating a law limiting the quantity of alcohol New Brunswick residents can purchase in other provinces.

Comeau contested his ticket, citing section 121 of the Constitution Act of 1867, which states that all Canadians goods are permitted to circulate freely across the country. His lawyers argue that the Fathers of Confederation wanted a common market for all Canadian goods.

According to the Ipsos poll, about 25 per cent of Canadians have heard of “the Comeau affair” and 78 per cent hope he wins his case.

The survey also found that 84 per cent of respondents felt that Canadians should be able to buy wine wherever they want in Canada, while 78 per cent said Canadians should be allowed to travel across the country with any quantity of wine or beer they purchased in another province.

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Less than 15 per cent of those surveyed favoured maintaining the status quo.

A report published by the Quebec government in 2015 recommended that the Quebec Liquor Board be privatized. And the province’s auditor-general found that the Crown corporation was not paying the best prices for the alcohol it stocked in its outlets.

Quebec’s existing liquor monopoly provides the province with more than $1 billion annually — money that is used to finance government services and would make privatization politically risky.

The Comeau case could also have repercussions on the imminent legalization of marijuana. If the court rules in favour of the New Brunswick resident, that decision could trigger nationwide lawsuits aimed at ending the monopoly the federal government intends to create to oversee the sale of marijuana.

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