Thank you, Mr. Chair, and through you to Mr. Cannan.
I certainly have appreciated your work on this file and the advice and the support you've given me so far. The expected economic impact is difficult to ascertain, and I do not endorse the practice of using optimistic numbers to paint a very bright picture, but what I can say is that many of the wineries I have spoken with have suggested a sales volume increase of at least 5% to 10%, which I think is a realistic expectation.
I can say that in every case, every winery I have spoken with has stated that the increased revenues will be directly and immediately reinvested into our local economies. New buildings, storage tanks, forklifts, barrels, and outright expansion are just some of the capital plans many wineries would like to accelerate. That's why they've been very supportive of Bill C-311.
On another note, in the riding south of mine, British Columbia—Southern Interior, is Oliver, a small town where there's a very strong business creating barrels for wine production, so there are a number of spinoff industries.
From my understanding in speaking to some of the purveyors in Nova Scotia, they are in an emerging wine region and they are trying to grow as much as they can. Whether that means wine tourism or agri-tourism and culinary tourism, it all seems to flow from great food and great wine.