‘It shouldn’t be so hard’: Booze producers on board with P.E.I. government removing trade barriers [Video]

Alcohol producers on P.E.I. will meet with provincial officials this week about removing trade barriers on booze within Canada, a move many of them support. 

The federal government recently reached a deal with the majority of provinces to allow alcohol to flow more freely across the country, just as U.S. brands are bring pulled from liquor store shelves in response to U.S. President Donald Trump’s trade war. 

All provinces except P.E.I. and Newfoundland and Labrador have agreed to remove the obstacles preventing their alcohol from being sold in other jurisdictions.

Robert van Waarden, the CEO of Red Island Cider in Charlottetown, said he hopes the province sees the “common sense” in dropping the barriers. 

“There’s definitely room within liquor legislation across the country to ask questions about ‘why does this exist?’ and get the answer beyond… ‘This is just the way we do it,'” van Waarden said.