End of Canada's Regional Monopolies????

The Canada Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (CETA), (with the EU) will end Canada’s regional monopolies on wine retailing that are applied in every region apart from Alberta,

No details -- see https://www.thedrinksbusiness.com/2017/ ... ada-trade/

That's good news for Canadian wine drinkers, but there's many a slip between cup and lip. The CETA treaty still has to be ratified by EU national parliaments and there's a lot of emotional opposition which I can't understand. Only one of the French presidential candidates with a chance, Macron, is in favour of CETA and the Dutch are salivating about a new referendum to block it as they did with the Ukrainian deal.

Wow, I hadn't heard that the EU-Canada trade agreement would have that effect on the provincial monopolies. If that is true, it is 'huge' news (as Trump might say) and a major, major shift for Canada. However, I don't doubt the provinces would also work extremely hard to ensure any new system increases rather than decreases the very substantial tax revenue they receive from the sale of wine, beer and liquor. For example, the BCLDB monopoly sends the government a cheque for over 1 billion dollars each year (BC has a population of just over 4 million people).

The main issue I have with the agreement is the continued (and even extended) power of corporations to sue if their profits are negatively affected by any government regulation. But that is a separate matter...