Enhancing Competitiveness for Alberta-Made Alcohol

Issue

Alberta's small and medium-sized alcohol producers continue to face considerable interprovincial trade barriers due to divergent provincial regulatory requirements and the voluntary nature of harmonization efforts.

Background

Alberta’s alcoholic beverage producers contribute an estimated $280–$320 million to Alberta’s GDP each year, supporting nearly $1 billion in total economic impact across the province.

Despite Alberta’s national leadership in maintaining one of the most open and competitive alcohol markets in Canada, significant interprovincial barriers continue to limit the growth potential of our provincial producers.

Recommendations

The Alberta Chambers of Commerce recommends that the Government of Alberta:

1. Work with the federal, provincial and territorial governments to develop national harmonization guidelines for liquor sales.
2. Mitigate market-access barriers resulting from regulatory divergence by continuing to implement Direct-to-Consumer (DTC) Sales practices that reflect consumer behaviour and e-commerce trends.
3. Conduct a comparative analysis of provincial markup and regulatory frameworks and make findings available to support voluntary information-sharing and dialogue with other provinces.