WINE IS FINE, WE PREFER BEER
And, oddly, that’s good news for NDP
Thirsty Albertans are more likely to pour a cold beer than a glass of wine, and a new survey suggests those who prefer suds over tannins could be more inclined to back an NDP government.
So does that mean Premier Rachel Notley’s ruling NDP could defy polls and earn a second term on the backs of beer-loving voters?
Not necessarily, said Shachi Kurl, executive director of the Angus Reid Institute.
“It’s feel-good policy, but I don’t necessarily think votes are driven by beer policy,” said Kurl. “If it’s a question as to what extent it actually helps politicians, I would take a step back and say ‘have we actually seen an election turned on booze policy?’”
On Monday, the pollster released the results of an online survey that queried 1,500 Canadian adults who are members of the Angus Reid Forum, asking them about their preferences in both booze and politicians.
It found Albertans nearly split in their liquor choices, with 49 per cent favouring beer and 45 per cent opting for wine.
But the poll also found that among supporters of the three major federal parties, those who support the NDP are the likeliest, at 48 per cent, to hoist a mug of beer. Wine came in a distant second choice for Team Orange at 33 per cent.
Meanwhile, Conservative Party voters still favoured beer (43 per cent) over wine (32 per cent) or spirits (24 per cent).
Liberals were the most likely political cohort to choose wine at 36 per cent, the poll found, but most (43 per cent) still opted for beer.
Booze and liquor have become significant policy planks for parties hoping to woo thirsty voters, most recently with new Ontario Premier Doug Ford’s Buck-a-Beer pledge to reduce the minimum price floor of beer to $1, plus deposit.
B.C. wine became a flashpoint earlier this year, after the Alberta government announced it would no longer stock its neighbour’s wines on store shelves in retaliation against B.C.’s efforts to derail the Trans Mountain pipeline.
Kurl said Notley has been keen to promote Alberta’s craft beer industry during her tenure, noting politicians looking to buoy their popularity can often grab an easy win and photo op from a boozy announcement.
“It’s fluffy and it’s feel-good,” she said.
“It’s a perceived easy win, but what are they actually winning beyond a warm glow from voters?”
A scan of Alberta government news releases over the past 24 months found no fewer than a dozen announcements related to alcohol, about one every other month.
Notley’s beer backing hasn’t always been a winning strategy, however.
A series of markups aimed at stimulating Alberta’s homegrown beer industry dating back to 2015 resulted in three separate trade rulings against the province, a judicial order to pay more than $2 million in restitution to out-ofprovince brewers and, just this month, a $100-million class-action lawsuit against the province on behalf of out-of-province craft beer producers and agents affected by the policy.
Kurl said, while politicians might enjoy the short-term buzz of announcing popular booze policies, it’s the wedge issues that still drive voters.
“It’s not the type of thing that’s going to electrify voters like carbon pricing or immigration policy,” she said.
“It buys politicians a bit of cover and it can be a welcome distraction.”
The survey, conducted between July 11 and 16, is considered accurate within 2.2 percentage points, 19 times out of 20.
It’s not the type of thing that’s going to electrify voters like carbon pricing or immigration policy. It buys politicians a bit of cover, and it can be a welcome distraction.