OTTAWA, ON – June 28, 2016 – The Canadian Vintners Association (CVA) is continuing in its efforts to ensure all Canadian consumers have access to Canadian wine, irrespective of the province it is produced in. While federal legislation has been enacted on the matter, provincial governments have been digging their heels, resulting in 10 of our 13 provinces and territories continuing to have prohibition-era-like laws in place, hurting both consumer choice and the growth of small wineries.
As today marks the 4-year anniversary of the federal legislation on the matter – Bill C-311 , which allowed Canadians to order wine from other provinces and have it delivered directly to them – the
CVA is calling on provincial governments to act. CVA further urges the Premiers in Nova Scotia, Manitoba and British Columbia – the provinces that do permit direct to consumer shipping to residents – to increase pressure on their provincial counterparts to open their borders to Canadian wine.
Dan Paszkowski, CVA’s President and CEO, recently gave evidence to the Senate Committee on Banking, Trade and Commerce during its inquiry on internal trade, which concluded on June 14. Paszkowski spoke up for small Canadian wineries, saying: “Our wineries, especially small wineries, need more options to get their product to market,” stating that interprovincial wine delivery offers wineries “a new and important sales channel.”
The Senate Committee’s report makes direct reference to Paszkowski’s testimony, ultimately calling for a Canada “free of interprovincial/ interterritorial trade barriers”. The Senate Committee’s report concludes: “Let Canada’s 150th year end as the country began a century and a half ago: free of interprovincial/ interterritorial trade barriers. It will make our great nation richer, both spiritually and financially. That is the best 150th birthday present that Canadians could receive.” Commenting on the report, Paszkowski said: “The Canadian grape wine industry contributes more than $6.8 billion to our economy and supports 31,000 jobs. Our aim is to support wineries to pursue growth. For smaller wineries, much of that growth is domestic, so allowing them to ship out-of-province is critical to their success.”
About the Canadian Vintners Association
The Canadian Vintners Association (CVA) is the national voice of the Canadian wine industry, representing more than 90% of annual wine production. CVA members are engaged in the entire wine value chain from grape growing, farm management, grape harvesting, research, wine production, bottling, retail sales and tourism. www.canadianvintners.com
