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Alcoholic drinks in Canada

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This article covers various topics involving alcoholic drinks in Canada. The Government of Canada defines an alcoholic drink as "a beverage containing 1.1% or more alcohol by volume."[1]

History

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Further information: Alcohol in New France

Canadian wine has been produced for over 400 years. In 1611, Louis Hérbert planted a hillside vineyard near what is today, Bear River, Nova Scotia.[2] He and other settlers tried to cultivate Vitis vinifera grapes from Europe with limited success. They found it necessary to focus on the native species of Vitis labrusca and Vitis riparia along with various hybrids. However, the market was limited for such wines because of their peculiar taste which was often called "foxy". However, this became less apparent when the juice was made into Port- and Sherry-styled wines. In 1866, the first commercial winery opened in Canada, situated on Pelee Island in Ontario.[3]

During the first half of the twentieth century, the temperance movement and later consumer demand for fortified and sweet wines hampered the development of a quality table wine industry. Consumer demand did not shift from sweet and fortified wines to drier and lower alcohol table wines until the 1960s. At the same time, there were significant improvements in wine-making technology, access to better grape varieties and disease-resistant clones, and systematic research into viticulture.[citation needed]

Beer was first introduced to Canada by European settlers in the seventeenth century, as Canada had an ideal climate for making beer before refrigeration was introduced. However, the preferred drink of the citizens of New France was imported wine or brandy. Although the first commercial brewery was built by Louis Prud'homme in Montreal (then Fort Ville-Marie) in 1650, it failed. Jean Talon, the first appointed Intendant of New France put limits on the amount of wine and spirits that could be imported and established the La brasserie de Roy in Quebec City, in the year 1668.[4] This brewery also failed after Talon returned to France in 1672 and import limits were increased.[5] What instead sprung up was the development of spruce beer, both alcoholic and non-alcoholic.[6]

After the fall of New France, the numerous British soldiers in the Canadian British colonies in the eighteenth century was a benefit to breweries since the troops were each entitled to six pints of beer per day. Most preferred ales and other heavy beers, not lager.[7] Another important base of customers was the British Loyalists that immigrated from the newly independent United States to Canada.[8] During those centuries and into the nineteenth, a number of commercial brewers thrived, including some that became the staple of the Canadian industry: John Molson founded a brewery in Montreal in 1786, Alexander Keith in Halifax in 1820, Thomas Carling in London in 1840, John Kinder Labatt in 1847, also in London, Susannah Oland in Halifax in 1867, and Eugene O'Keefe in Toronto in 1891. The Upper Canada government issued a patent on July 6, 1842, to George Riley of Kingston, Upper Canada for "an improved method of brewing ale, beer, porter, and other malt liquors."[9] Molson's is the oldest surviving Canadian brewing enterprise.[10]
Canadian whisky is a type of whisky produced in Canada. Most Canadian whiskies are blended multi-grain liquors containing a large percentage of corn spirits, and are typically lighter and smoother than other whisky styles.[11] When Canadian distillers began adding small amounts of highly-flavourful rye grain to their mashes, people began demanding this new rye-flavoured whisky, referring to it simply as "rye". Today, as for the past two centuries, the terms "rye whisky" and "Canadian whisky" are used interchangeably in Canada and (as defined in Canadian law) refer to exactly the same product, which generally is made with only a small amount of rye grain.[12]

Comparative consumption

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Statistics Canada carries out surveys of alcoholic consumption in Canada, divided by territory/province.[13] Average values for the country in 2006 are given in the bottom row of the table.

Wine Rank Beer Rank Spirits Rank Total Rank↓
Yukon 18.3 1 90.6 3 13.8 1 12.7 1
Northwest Territories 8.1 7 55.2 5 10.8 2 9.2 2
Alberta 13.9 4 89.8 4 7.6 9 8.6 3
Newfoundland & Labrador 6.5 11 93.3 2 7.3 10 8.0 4
British Columbia 14.5 3 76.6 12 9.0 7 7.8 5
Ontario 11.8 5 84.3 6 8.8 8 7.8 6
Quebec 17.4 2 93.9 1 4.1 12 7.8 7
Prince Edward Island 7.4 10 78.9 9 9.7 3 7.5 8
Nova Scotia 8.0 8 79.5 8 9.1 5 7.5 9
Manitoba 8.0 9 76.8 10 9.4 4 7.4 10
Saskatchewan 5.0 12 76.8 11 9.1 6 7.0 11
New Brunswick 8.4 6 79.8 7 6.8 11 6.7 12
Nunavut Data unavailable
Canada 13.1 85.6 7.5 7.8
Values for wine, beer and spirits consumption are given in litres per person over 15, per annum. The total is expressed in litres of absolute alcohol.

Distribution

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Under the Constitution of Canada, responsibility for enacting laws and regulations regarding the sale and distribution of alcoholic drinks in Canada is the sole responsibility of the ten provinces. Canada's three territories have also been granted similar autonomy over these matters under the provisions of federal legislation.

This means that there is a separate agency (or agencies) in each province responsible for regulating the consumption of and, in all but one case, the sale of alcoholic drinks. Alberta is currently the only jurisdiction to have completely privatized its retail liquor industry (the AGLC maintains a monopoly over the wholesale distribution of wine, distilled spirits and imported beer — the distribution operation itself being contracted out to a private operator). Most of the other jurisdictions have maintained a total or near-total control over the sale of hard liquor while allowing limited privatisation of country-originated beer and wine sales.

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Age

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In Canada, there is no federally defined age for legal alcohol purchase or consumption. Each province and territory is free to set its own drinking age. The legal ages for purchase are currently:[14]

Most provinces of Canada enacted prohibition of alcohol sales, consumption and distribution between the years of 1910 and 1920, during Prohibition in Canada. After prohibition ended, provinces enacted minimum drinking ages of 20 or 21 years. In the early 70s, the age limits were lowered to either 18 or 19 years of age to align with the age of majority. Later, a few provinces and territories raised their age limit from 18 to 19 in the late 1970s and early 1980s.[30]

Sales

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Alcohol and cannabis sales in Canada, April 2022 to March 2023

The selling hours of alcohol, both on and off-premises, are also appointed by provincial and territorial jurisdiction, as long as off-premises sale hours do not coincide with curfew hours. Many provinces and territories define the off-premises sale of hard liquor, either by alcohol volume or by quantities thereof, to be sold only within specific hours, which usually correspond to the opening hours of a given vendor. However, in some of them, it is also possible to derogate to the current norm upon applying for a distributor's licence, under certain circumstances. The on-premises sale is allowed at the discretion of the premise, with the hours being regulated by every province.

In general, most provinces have banned "tied houses" (bars that are affiliated with only one alcohol supplier), in favour of free houses which sell products from a variety of suppliers. A partial exception is made for brewpubs where a bar and brewery are on the same site.

Consumption

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The consumption of alcohol in public places is generally forbidden, regardless of the time (in a few provinces and territories this is still not enforced), unless a permit to do so is delivered by the responsible municipal authorities. In Quebec the consumption of drinks with low alcohol contents is permitted in public if accompanied by food. In all of the provinces and territories, the consumption of alcohol is forbidden while driving, with Ontario and Quebec also forbidding the possession of open non-empty containers within a motionless vehicle. Police in Canada are known to show considerable discretion to public consumption based on the amount of public disruption.

See also

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Notes

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  1. ^ "Labeling Requirements For Alcohol", Canadian Food Inspection Agency. Retrieved on 14 April 2015.
  2. ^ Aspler, Tony (1995). Vintage Canada: The complete reference to Canadian wines. McGraw-Hill Ryerson.
  3. ^ "Market Analysis Report: A Global Export Market Overview for British Columbia's Wine Industry" (PDF). Government of British Columbia. 2012. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2018-11-07. Retrieved 2019-03-09.
  4. ^ Sneath, Allen Winn (2001). ""Brewing in the New Land"". Brewed in Canada. Toronto and Oxford: The Dundurn Group. pp. 21–22.
  5. ^ Coutts 2010, pp. 9–10.
  6. ^ Coutts 2010, p. 10.
  7. ^ Bellamy, Bellamy (May 2009). "Beer Wars". Canada's History. Canada's History Magazine. Archived from the original on February 2, 2017. Retrieved January 21, 2017.
  8. ^ Coutts 2010, p. 22.
  9. ^ Canada Patent Office (1860). Patents of Canada. Lovell & Gibson.
  10. ^ Koch, Phil (May 2009). "Beer Wars - Canadians have enjoyed suds for centuries". Canada's History. Canada's History. Archived from the original on February 2, 2017. Retrieved January 24, 2017. When Jacques Cartier arrived in North America, he and his crew were shown how to make the spruce beer Canada's First Nations were already brewing. Many early settlers brewed beer in their homes
  11. ^ What is Canadian Whisky? Archived February 2, 2011, at the Wayback Machine, whisky.com. (Access date December 15, 2010.)
  12. ^ de Kergommeaux, Davin (2012). Canadian Whisky: The Portable Expert. McClelland & Stewart Ltd. pp. xii & 5. ISBN 978-0-7710-2743-7.
  13. ^ "SAQ Annual Report". Société des alcools du Québec. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2007-09-27. Retrieved 2006-06-04.
  14. ^ "Canadian Centre on Substance Abuse". Archived from the original on 2009-02-22. Retrieved 2009-02-01.
  15. ^ "Liquor Control and Licensing Act, SBC 2015, c 19". CanLII. Section 77(1). Retrieved 2024-02-25.
  16. ^ "Age of Majority Act, RSBC 1996, c 7". CanLII. Section 1. Retrieved 2024-02-25.
  17. ^ "Liquor Control Act, RSNB 1973, c L-10". CanLII. Section 126(4). Retrieved 2024-02-25.
  18. ^ "Liquor Control Act, RSNL 1990, c L-18". CanLII. Section 72. Retrieved 2024-02-25.
  19. ^ "Liquor Act, SNWT 2007, c 15". CanLII. Section 77(1). Retrieved 2024-02-25.
  20. ^ "Liquor Control Act, RSNS 1989, c 260". CanLII. Section 89(1). Retrieved 2024-02-25.
  21. ^ "Liquor Act, RSNWT (Nu) 1988, c L-9". CanLII. Section 85(2). Retrieved 2024-02-25.
  22. ^ "Liquor Licence and Control Act, 2019, SO 2019, c 15, Sch 22". CanLII. Section 33(1). Retrieved 2024-02-25.
  23. ^ "Liquor Control Act, RSPEI 1988, c L-14". CanLII. Section 40(1). Retrieved 2024-02-25.
  24. ^ "The Alcohol and Gaming Regulation Act, 1997, SS 1997, c A-18.011". CanLII. Sections 2 and 110(1). Retrieved 2024-02-25.
  25. ^ "Liquor Act, RSY 2002, c 140". CanLII. Section 90(1). Retrieved 2024-02-25.
  26. ^ "Gaming, Liquor and Cannabis Act, RSA 2000, c G-1". CanLII. Sections 1 and 87(1). Retrieved 2024-02-25.
  27. ^ "The Liquor, Gaming and Cannabis Control Act, CCSM c L153". CanLII. Section 62(1). Retrieved 2024-02-25.
  28. ^ "The Interpretation Act, CCSM c I80". CanLII. Section 17. Retrieved 2024-02-25.
  29. ^ "Act respecting offences relating to alcoholic beverages, CQLR c I-8.1". CanLII. Section 103.1. Retrieved 2024-02-25.
  30. ^ "The Impact and Effectiveness of Minimum Legal Drinking Age Legislation in Canada" (PDF). Canadian Centre on Substance Abuse. Retrieved 24 December 2024.

Sources

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