Bob CollinsCanada has been pretty much on a roll the last few years. Why, the great white north has looked positively appealing when viewed from the American lens.
But an ugly reality of life in Canada was illuminated today when the Supreme Court there upheld a ban on transporting any more than 12 pints of beer from one province. Twelve pints? Oh, Canada!
For the last six years, Gerald Comeau, of New Brunswick, has fought the ban. In 2012, he was stopped on his way back from Quebec. His crime? He had 14 cases of beer, two bottles of whisky and one bottle of liquor in his vehicle. He was fined nearly $300. Even worse, they took the hooch.
But the court ruled today that provinces and territories have the constitutional right to restrict the importation of goods as long as the primary aim of the restriction is not to impede trade, the CBC reported.
“I’m sure I won’t be buying as much beer as I used to. I might take a couple of cases,” Comeau said following the decision.
“It’s not a border crossing, it’s across the bridge,” a shopper said today at the provincial line of Quebec and New Brunswick. “It’s all Canada. We’re Canadians, we should be able to shop where we want.”
The decision is a black mark on the country, but you’ve still got a better congress, Canada.
