This looks like a little story out of New Brunswick, a man busted for buying cheap beer in Quebec and taking it home. It’s more than that, this is about free trade inside Canada, what our constitution actually says – not the Charter – and what politicians are going to do about it.
I got Harper, Trudeau and Mulcair to comment – okay a Mulcair staffer – and now I welcome your comments.
The second sign you are living in a fascist/kleptonomic cesspool is restriction on trade and commerce within the nation – local governments taking a skim (Levies/taxes) of all trade passing local political borders or fines/seizures in default – this shows that local crony capitalists (insiders) have bought trade protection from the local political bosses/cabals.
In Canada restriction of inter provincial trade is constitutionally illegal – but since when do governments obey their own laws right? We have 10 provincial-run liquor monopolies and provincial dairy, egg, poultry, wheat, pork and beef marketing monopolies in this nation and there is the basis for provincial restriction on trade – there is also the basis of a soviet-styled command economics supply control commissariat mixed with a kleptonmic price-fixing cartel – no wonder there are conflicts with free trade and laissez faire free markets and inclusive capitalism in this country.
Canada has never decided if it is a free market economy or a controlled soviet command economy. The confusion has been with us since WWII
Beauregarde Darville could not be reached for comment.
For all that is holy and Canadian, laws like this should have been shot down long ago. Why that could cause a shootin’ war!
Constitutional constipation by illegal regulation resulting in state sanctioned über-stupidity.
Cheers
Hans Rupprecht, Commander in Chief
1st Saint Nicolaas Army
Army Group ‘True North’
I’m not so sure. I like inter-provincial barriers. They keep the stupid cancer in ontario and quebec from spreading.
I am always impressed by the judiciary, ignoring laws written as plain as day while creating others out of nothing. Is there some reason we actually hold elections when the Nazis on the Supreme Court do such a good job? Heil Beverley McLachlin! May she give many orders to Harper on how Parliament should govern. Just don’t have a politician call a judge.
The day Beverley McLachlin hands in her robes will be a great day for Canada.
I say having an elected Supreme Court is more important to this democracy than an elected Senate.
I’m from NB. I would like cheaper beer. The Indian reserves across the border from NB sell the beer for half what I have to pay for it here. But NB is broke and badly in the hole and will be further in financial trouble if it loses the monopoly in booze. A compromise would be to double the amount an individual can bring across. I am not in favour of allowing beer runners bring a van load of beer across only to bootleg it.
brew your own. its about $1/bottle for premium, $0.50/bottle for superstore kits.
no can/bottle returns
flip The Man the bird….
Alcohol should be de-regulated.
It isn’t just about beer, it’s about Free Interprovicial Trade within Canada.
Question is, which party is willing to bring down the trade barriers regarding dairy products on which Ontario and Quebec have such a sweet deal?
That, I think, is the hot button topic more than beer because until that is done then beer is just well, small beer in comparison.
“Do you know, they got a bigger markup in legit fresh milk than we could ever get away with in booze? Honest to God boys, we been in the wrong racket all along.”
~Al Capone
This simply CONTINUES to reinforce Kate’s former quote at the top of the SDA Home page for many months: “NOT rioting in the streets is a failed conservative strategy.”
Why not? I thought that was called commerce? I buy hardwood pellets for my stove from Quebec even though Shaw resources manufactures wood pellets here in NS. Is RONA “bootlegging” them? No because they are not a cash cow to be milked by government…yet.
The term bootlegging should be offensive to any freedom loving or even understanding person. It should be expanded to actually explain its meaning: Bootlegging v. to sell without government getting its cut.
“brew your own”
Yup. And buy from the small, independent brewers … and support your local bootlegger.
There’s a great story here: http://beerology.ca/articles/who-really-came-first…/ on the role a man named John Mitchell played in opening up brew pubs and craft brewing in BC–effectively breaking up the oligopoly of the “only” three.
It’s interesting that even Mitchell’s apparent victory contained regulatory traps designed to prevent him from being successful. He could open a brew pub, but the brewing operation had to be separated from the pub operation by a commercial road. Just a guess on my part but this was designed (probably by lobbying from the “only” three) to increase the cost of his operations.
And there’s the rub! None of these regulations make any logical sense. They are clearly designed as barriers to trade that effectively drive up the cost of goods and services. It’s institutionalized crony capitalism. None of these new competitors had the financial wherewithal to open up operations in every province and god forbid if you try to take a six pack of your favourite craft beer across the border. In fact, the best way to do it (semi-legally) is to buy it in its province of origin, drive through the States, and enter your province. I say semi-legally because technically they could still confiscate the beer if it lacks an export label.
I realize the odds of being stopped are fairly low, but if a self-righteous provincial police officer pulls you over and doesn’t like your face or is looking to confiscate his day’s contribution to the local constabulary’s happy hour then you’re scr@wed. (Been there.)
Canuckguy, perhaps it’s time for the geographical part of Canada known as the Atlantic Provinces to become one entity. Note that the population of the combined Atlantic Provinces is the equivalent of the Greater Toronto Area–and it supports 4 provincial governments. Let that sink in for a moment–a population of approximately 3 million people is supporting 4 provincial governments and the accompanying bureaucracies. It’s not surprising that NB is broke…and Newfoundland (even with its own oil) can’t pay its bills.
Simply amazing article! I also can be helpful here 🙂 I’ve found AltoMerge – online service for files merging. It’s pretty easy to use. You can find it here altomerge.com