Saq

New CAQ Government in Quebec Could Start to Dismantle the SAQ | Eater Montreal

"I note that the SAQ is Quebec’s publicly owned alcohol retailer that holds a monopoly on sales of hard liquor and some wine; the CAQ — which won a majority and promised the biggest changes to the SAQ — wants to allow alcohol importers and producers to sell directly to consumers (particularly wine) instead of via the SAQ. The party insisted 'it isn’t and has never been a question of privatizing the SAQ...but this would be equivalent to putting the SAQ in private hands.' The CAQ has pushed to eliminate the SAQ monopoly for some time, arguing in 2016 the system made customers pay more (the SAQ later dropped prices), and its financial critic François Bonnardel has said Quebecers should have access to more wines and spirits beyond the SAQ’s offerings. It remains unclear if or when any changes will happen, since the party was relatively quiet on the issue during the recent campaign." - Tim Forster