First Lumber, Now Wine
Prince George, B.C.- One of the final actions by the Obama Administration in the United States is a new trade action levelled against Canada over B.C.’s policy that allows the sale of wine at grocery stores.
The action, filed with the World Trade Organization, says the policy, which only allows B.C. wines to be sold in grocery stores “discriminate against the sale of U.S. wine in grocery stores” and that the B.C. regulations ” breach Canada’s WTO commitments and have adversely impacted U.S. wine producers.”
The action says by excluding all imported wines from grocery store shelves “limit sales opportunities for U.S. wine producers and provide a substantial competitive advantage for BC wine.”
“American winemakers have found increasing success in export markets like Canada,” said Acting Agriculture Secretary Michael Scuse in a release from the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative. “However, we could be doing even better. In British Columbia the local wines get an unfair advantage because they can be sold on grocery store shelves, while U.S. wines cannot. The United States simply seeks equal opportunities to market our wines, consistent with Canada’s international obligations.”
Comments
I hate to say it, but they do have a point. I don’t see how it will be possible to defend against this complaint.
I think the Province’s position is that a certain number of these licenses were grandfathered into NAFTA (I think 80 is the magic number). The US agreed to allow these licenses to continue and the Province has now started to use them.
Still, no matter how ‘right’ we are, probably not the best time to poke the elephant next door…
Obama may have started us down this path but..We will be seeing more and more of this as trump continues to focus on USA imports exports…
Canadians first!! Lets look after our own.
OK, let’s go down to California, Will they stock our BC wines.
Damn American’s are a bunch of wine-y cry babies.
Sure stock the shelves, and they can write a song about it. “Dust on the bottle”.
I have bought mostly BC wines, some from Chile, Australia.
Grocery stores don’t sell all BC wines either , they pick and chose who give them a stipend first as to what brands they sell.
What are they gonna wine about next? Send them some “Goat” cheese.
For years we have been buying only beers made by our local brewery. We used to buy only red wines originating from the Okanagan. Lately we have switched to a Chilean brand of red wine which is certified Organic! We discovered that wines that come from other countries are made with grapes that are being sprayed routinely with herbicides and pesticides. This includes wines imported from the USA. They can force us to put them on the shelf, but they can’t (yet) force us to buy them!
Expect them to decide to shut down the Canadian vehicle and parts manufacturing industry! Already all the pickup trucks that Canadians purchase are made either in Mexico or the USA!
So much for FREE trade!
I’m not sure you understand what free trade means. Free trade means a country (or a portion of that country), let’s say Canada, cant restrict the sale of a product manufactured in another country in favour of a product manufactured in another country, say the US.
Therefore, BC can’t just decide to restrict the sale of wines from the US in favour of Canadian manufactures. As well, Manufacturers can build their products in a location that works best for their business and sell in a country without penalty, that’s why you are seeing your vehicles built in Mexico.
That’s basically what NAFTA is, the countries have agreed to the free flow of merchandise manufactured in NA across our borders. Yes, there are exceptions and rules, but that’s basically what it is.
“As well, Manufacturers can build their products in a location that works best for their business and sell in a country without penalty” .. sure, tell that to “the donald”, in his eyes the NAFTA free trade agreement means nothing because it doesn’t fit into his need to control everything and do things his way. You can’t have free trade discussion with protectionists like that, how could you ever trust anything that was agreed to today when he could change his mind tomorrow. Canada needs to diversify their trading partners and quick.
It is not BC that restricts the sale of wines. We are free to buy wines from any country in BC. It is the sale in grocery stores that are restricted for some reason or another to BC wines, it appears.
There is a significant wine industry in Ontario and Quebec as well. We have restricted those too.
More than just the US should complain.
I do not recall seeing BC wines in Washington State either. I may have missed them.
Why British Columbia wines can be hard to find in Washington
seattletimes.com/life/food-drink/why-british-columbia-wines-can-be-hard-to-find-in-washington
“Q: I was wondering why it’s so difficult to get wines from British Columbia down here. On my infrequent trips back home, I often find wines that I really enjoy, but other than what little I can bring back across the border, I can’t find them down here to buy.”
“A: The short answer to your question is that due to the limited production of most B.C. wineries, and the B.C. Liquor Control Board regulations, which effectively mandate that all wine sales (except cellar door) must go through their buyer(s), it is expensive, difficult, time-consuming and ultimately not worth it for most B.C. wineries to pursue markets across the border.
“But since misery loves company, you may find comfort in the knowledge that it is also illegal in Canada for wineries to ship their wine from one province to another if it doesn’t go through the liquor board in the receiving province! In other words, a B.C. winery cannot ship wine to an individual customer in Ontario.
“Rather than fight the system, most wineries elect to sell everything they make to their own tasting-room customers and the B.C. authorities; it’s easy and a lot less hassle.”
….. so there we have it. The USA should be glad that BC is restricting the sale of their wine all on its own.
Is this an election issue for the NDP or Green Party? :-)
I think it is hilarious when Americans try to lecture us on our WTO “commitments” and try to use the WTO to force themselves into our marketplace. It is especially funny since they have a habit of ignoring their WTO “commitments” whenever it is convenient to do so. Like, for instance, when the WTO found that Canadian lumber wasn’t unfairly subsidized and damaging to the US lumber market.
Booze should go back to being sold only in government liquor stores, where it belongs. I have to sit and watch my tax dollars being spent on stupid anti-drunk driving ads, while this pathetic Con government relentlessly expands ease of access to the very product that causes all the problemsin the first place.
I could buy bear and wine in Quebec grocery stores in the 1960’s …. no big deal!!!!
Wine available at selected grocery stores in Ontario starting today (Oct 28, 2016)
source = thestar.com/news/queenspark/2016/10/28/ontario-grocery-stores-begin-selling-wine-today.html
“Shoppers can buy wine at 67 supermarkets as it joins beer and cider on grocery store shelves. The plan is to have wine in 300 of the province’s 1,500 grocery stores and beer in 450 by 2025.
“Six-packs of beer first made it to the aisles of 57 supermarkets last December, breaking the stranglehold on sales enjoyed for decades by The Beer Store and LCBO.”
Do you represent the temperance society????
Get real. If I represented a temperance society, I would be advocating that alcohol not be available to anyone at any time, anywhere.
I don’t have an issue with people drinking alcohol. I have the occasional one myself. I do have a problem with these stupid governments spending millions of dollars on anti-drinking advertisements while, at the same time, making it easier to access the very product that they spend all that money lecturing us about.
I couldn’t care less if you could buy booze in Quebec grocery stores in the 1960s. Just because other provinces do something does not mean we have to follow suit. The only place you should be able to buy booze in this province, other than a pub, bar or dining establishment, is in government controlled liquor stores..period.
The provinces which currently allows sales through the grocery channel, or are looking to do so.
Alberta. …
British Columbia. …
New Brunswick. …
Nova Scotia. …
Ontario. …
Quebec. …
Saskatchewan
cry baby USA
The Liberals knew this would cause a challenge under trade agreements, did it anyway and now they’ll spend millions of tax dollars fighting on behalf of industry. Meanwhile 900 people a year are dying of overdose because they didn’t fund treatment beds, children and working poor have to rely on food banks, mental health beds still underfunded, understaffing at senior care facilities is the new normal and homelessness on the rise because this government just doesn’t care about anyone who can’t pay into the Liberal coffers. Clark with her $195k plus perks salary and $50k “stipend” will bs about LNG while everything north of Cache Creek gets ignored and unemployment rises.
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