An agreement signed near the end of last week will give British Columbia’s wine industry access to markets in Quebec and Ontario.
The interprovincial agreement is a benefit to the wine producers in each of the provinces, as it opens up a huge trading market for each one.
Ontario and Quebec have a combined population of roughly 22 million people, or close to two-thirds of the total Canadian population. If British Columbia’s wineries are able to sell to such a large market, it means the potential for much higher sales.
The benefits are significant, especially as British Columbia’s wine industry is working to make a name for itself across the country and around the world. Wineries benefit when wine is available beyond our provincial borders.
However, despite this agreement, interprovincial wine trade regulations could be improved and streamlined. British Columbia has established earlier agreements with Saskatchewan, Manitoba and Nova Scotia, but there are still provinces and territories where wine trade agreements are not yet in place.
Forming individual agreements with each province doesn’t make much sense. It’s a cumbersome process and it means regulations affecting the sale of B.C. wines in Saskatchewan might not be the same as the regulations governing the same product coming into Quebec.
A better solution is to set up an agreement affecting all Canadian provinces and territories. For the wine producers and the out-of-province wine consumers, this would mean one set of regulations rather than the multiple smaller agreements now in place.
The latest agreement, between B.C., Ontario and Quebec, is an important piece in promoting our wines to the country. But this agreement isn’t enough.
It’s time for a better structure in place to govern the sale of wine from one province to another.
