People say that it is a new economy, but really it's a return to local and regional economies using Canadian products, using Canadian labour and using all the resources. Some people say that it is a new economy because it is changing the established paradigm. However, before prohibition, Canada had many microbreweries and regional breweries. There were over 300 in Ontario and over 200 in Quebec.
Unfortunately, with the concentration of the control of breweries by foreign multinationals, we found ourselves in a situation where the majority of degustation beers and specialty beers were imported products. So we ended up with a trade imbalance in Canada. So what we are calling the new economy of microbreweries is, in fact, a return to our roots. It's a return to our local and regional economies.