You will soon be able to get Canadian alcohol products from other provinces shipped directly to your door.
Ten provinces and territories have now signed a memorandum of understanding for direct-to-consumer alcohol sales.
The Committee on Internal Trade made the announcement after its latest meeting in Québec City on Tuesday.
But Christopher Skette, minister for the economy for Québec, said there is no timeline for when direct-to-consumer sales will roll out.
“The applicability of direct-to-consumer sales is a complex subject. It requires us to attach the taxation from our respective jurisdictions, along with public safety and public health considerations,” Skeete said in response to a question from a reporter.
“We are actively working to make sure that we can do this the right way, and we have that Quebecers and Canadians will be able to benefit from this as soon as possible, but you have to understand that this has never been done before.”
Nine provinces and one territory have agreed to the MOU to date. Newfoundland and Labrador, the Northwest Territories and Nunavut have not yet signed on.
Jean-Claude D’Amours, New Brunswick’s intergovernmental affairs minister, said his province anticipates being able to start direct-to-consumer sales “within a month or so.”
“Depending on the speed that we will be able to finalize agreements with other provinces. We know that some provinces have already started on their side,” said D’Amours.
Direct-to-consumer alcohol sales have been a key priority for the committee as it looks to improve interprovincial trade across the country.
Committee chair Caitlin Cleveland, who is the minister of industry, tourism and investment in the Northwest Territories, also highlighted other areas of progress in recent months.
Cleveland said provincial, territorial and federal governments have worked to review party-specific exceptions under the Canadian Free Trade Agreement to improve the flow of goods.
They have also accelerated mutual recognition of regulations in key sectors to ease the burden on business and reduce unnecessary red tape, she said.
An action plan has also been developed and endorsed by internal trade ministers to further facilitate labour movement across provinces and territories.
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