[Azure]

OTTAWA -- Federal Innovation Minister Navdeep Bains is dismissing a Conservative MP's suggestion to ask the Supreme Court to assess the constitutionality of cross-border limits for alcohol.

Bains says the Liberal government is working "intensely" to modernize the agreement on internal trade and that he's been meeting with his provincial counterparts on a range of trade issues, including alcohol.

"I very much support the free-flow of alcohol from one jurisdiction to another, particularly amongst provinces and territories," Bains told reporters in Ottawa. "We understand the importance of this issue in the context, again, of making sure that businesses have the opportunity to grow.

The Conservative critic for interprovincial trade is calling on the Liberals to test whether provincial limits on cross-border alcohol sales are constitutional.

But he says protectionism is getting in the way of some provinces removing their trade barriers.

"There's a mentality to protect your own jurisdiction," Bains said. "So the idea is there's the historical context, there's a revenue issue, there's a financial impact, but the bottom line is we understand if we don't eliminate these barriers, if we don't harmonize regulations, we're putting ourselves at a disadvantage, particularly as we move forward with other international trade agreements."

http://www.ctvnews.ca/politics/free-...vice-1.2923121

Crazy that it is easier for someone out of province to buy foreign alcohol than it is to buy a Canadian made product.