Liquor sales restrictions between provinces should be removed, say wineries

P.E.I.wineriessay they arehopeful that one day, it will be easier to sell their wine directly to people in other parts of the country.

That comes after Canada's liquor laws were the subject of debateat the Premiers meeting in Whitehorse last week.

"It should've been done a long time ago," said JamieMatos, ofMatosWinery and Distillery in St.Catherines, P.E.I. "Why create barriers when we don't need to. It should be free to buy, sell, compete.

"If you cannot compete, it's nobody's issue, it's your issue. In my opinion, we should be able to, not to talk about it, do something about it, and finish with this red tape that I call it."

Currently onlyB.C. and Manitoba allow people to buylimitedamounts of alcoholfrom other provinces directly.

B.C., Ontario, and Quebec have a deal in place among themselves to allow easier sales from wineries among those provinces.

But most Canadians cannot buy P.E.I. wine, beer, or spirits directly.

John Rossignol, with Rossignol Estate Winery on the Shore Road near Wood Islands, agreedwith Matos, sayingsince P.E.I. is the smallest liquor market in the country, being able to sell directly to other Canadians is a huge opportunity.

Nova Scotia premier Stephen McNeil said he'd like to see all provinces on board with an open liquor market, but ultimately, talks stalled at the meeting.

In a statement, the P.E.I. government said it wants to get more Island product into the hands of consumers across Canada.

• MORE P.E.I. NEWS|'They gave me stability': One woman's account of time at Mount Herbert Orphanage
• MORE P.E.I. NEWS|Pokmon Go players ride Charlottetown bus for free this week