Quebecers want an end to SAQ monopoly, poll finds
While the Couillard government mulls whether to terminate the decades-old monopoly exercised by the Société des alcools du Québec on liquor sales, a survey conducted for a local think tank suggests the end should come sooner rather than later.
A Léger Marketing survey conducted for the Montreal Economic Institute suggests 71 per cent of respondents favour the idea of independent vendors — restaurants and wine distributors — being allowed to freely import wine and sell directly to consumers without having to go through the SAQ.
Meanwhile, 84 per cent of those surveyed support the idea of Quebecers being allowed to purchase wine in Canada or elsewhere without having to deal with the provincial Crown corporation.
In a statement accompanying the release on Thursday of the survey, MEI president Michel KellyGagnon noted the poll results are “clear, unequivocal and give our political decision-makers something to think about.”
“Quebecers, regardless of their age, gender or political affiliation, strongly support a liberalization of the sale of wine and spirits,” KellyGagnon said.
The MEI is calling for Quebec to allow independent wine producers to sell directly to their markets, and that dépanneurs, grocery stores and supermarkets be permitted to sell wines and spirits, as is the case in France and the United States. The institute contends consumers outside of major urban centres would benefit from the larger selection of sales points, the estimated 9,440 supermarkets and grocery stores in Quebec providing a larger sales area than the SAQ’s 844 outlets.
The MEI also notes allowing liquor sales in food stores would give consumers the option of onestop shopping when it comes to purchasing their weekly groceries, and that most stores are open longer than SAQ outlets.
It also predicts a larger number of sales points would lead to a drop in prices for wines and spirits, including in restaurants, and a greater selection of brands for consumers.