Saq
Liquor store · Saint-Jean-de-l'Île-d'Orléans ·
Quebec's public alcohol retailer, promoting local products
Quebec's public alcohol retailer, promoting local products
"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
"I note the parties differ on the SAQ: the Liberals say they would keep it public and have hired a firm to analyze and potentially evolve its business model to provide “the best offer at the best price”; Québec Solidaire would also keep the SAQ public but mandate it to promote Quebec products, allow smaller producers into its network and possibly lower prices if increased sales volumes allow; the Parti Québécois is against any privatization and wants to help foster Quebec’s winemaking, brewing and distilling industries; and the CAQ says it would not privatize the SAQ but would allow importers and producers to sell more directly to consumers, a change that could lead to a partial dismantling of the alcohol retailer." - Tim Forster
"Based on the SAQ’s example as Quebec’s alcohol retailer, I conclude that small-scale producers typically face difficulty getting shelf space or distribution through a government-controlled seller, a dynamic that suggests similar challenges for artisanal cannabis edibles if sales are limited to government stores." - Tim Forster
Daria S
Clément C
David R Pariente (Dr M.
