Hello. My name is Janice Ruddock and I am the managing director of the Winery Association of Nova Scotia.
I want to thank the Standing Committee on Finance for the opportunity to attend this committee hearing in reference to Bill C-311, the bill to amend the Importation of Intoxicating Liquors Act.
Please allow me just a few minutes to introduce the wine industry in Nova Scotia. We have a 2020 vision: that in 2020 we will have 20 wineries and over 1,000 acres of grapes planted.
Currently there are 14 wineries, but I'm going to tell you that they have enough enthusiasm for 140 wineries. There are enormous dreams and plans in the Nova Scotia wine industry, and the core part of my job is finding the support to help these dreams come to life by promoting Nova Scotia wines wherever possible. Nova Scotians have one of the lowest per capita consumptions of wine in Canada, so obviously the opportunity to move into other regions of Canada is a very attractive possibility for the growth of the Nova Scotia wine industry.
The majority of our wineries are located in the scenic Annapolis Valley, which is one hour from Halifax and a tourist destination.
With a population of only 945,000—I'm not sure where Hanspeter got the other 55,000—who historically are not wine drinkers, we have to spend a considerable amount of resources just on educating people about wine—not Nova Scotia wine, but wine in general.
Our Nova Scotia signature grape is L'Acadie Blanc, and most wineries in Nova Scotia will produce a L'Acadie Blanc wine, which is the most wonderful accompaniment to our delicious seafood. If you want to, as Scott has mentioned, you will see that this evening. Nova Scotia is being recognized for its high-quality sparkling wines, plus our off-dry whites. We also make red wines and icewines as well.
With current 100% Nova Scotia wine not even filling the shelves of the 105 Nova Scotia Liquor Corporation stores, today our key priorities remain simply to increase the production of 100% Nova Scotia wines and to educate the consumers on Nova Scotia wines. We like to say, “Created under the same earth, sea, and sky, the wines and seafood of Nova Scotia are, quite simply, a match made in Nova Scotia heaven”. That is why our symbol is a wineglass and a lobster claw. This symbol is put on our wine that is produced with only 100% Nova Scotia grapes.
Nova Scotia has great wines. We've been recognized with international accolades. For example, Prestige Brut, from L'Acadie Vineyards, was the only entry from North America to win a medal in the ninth international competition for the world's best sparkling wines.
Nova Scotia wines are very hard to duplicate. They add diversity and uniqueness to the Canadian wine industry, and aren't diversity and uniqueness what Canada is all about?
Therefore, the ability to ship our unique wines across Canada will give Canadian consumers an opportunity to sample truly unique and truly Nova Scotian wines. This year, we are formally launching a Nova Scotia signature wine called Tidal Bay, which again is unique to Nova Scotia. Only 14 months ago, Nova Scotia saw our own wine regulations come into effect. We have been asked whether it's VQA Nova Scotia; it is not, at this point in time, but we certainly are investigating the opportunity.
More to the point on Bill C-311, as you can appreciate, as a growing wine industry in a province of 945,000, the Nova Scotia wine industry is always interested in developing new channels of distribution for our products. Therefore, the Nova Scotia wine industry would support the opportunity for individuals to order or transport Nova Scotia wines across Canadian provincial boundaries.
We have only one request, though—and keep in mind that I am here on behalf of the Nova Scotia wine industry—which is that Bill C-311 reflect or be adapted to incorporate “100% Canadian” in front of the word “wine”. The fledgling 100% Canadian wine industry lacks the awareness that imported wines to Canada have among wine drinkers. Imported wines to Canada increased by 8.8% for the 10-year period from 1996 to 2006. We are concerned that without the definition of “100% Canadian” in front of the word “wine” in Bill C-311, there will be an opportunity for wines of all countries to be moved across provincial borders.
Nova Scotians, being price-sensitive shoppers, will have the opportunity to order imported wines that are under a different business model from our Canadian wines, and there is also a high awareness of the country of origin among our fledgling wine drinkers. No doubt Nova Scotia wine consumers would be thrilled with this opportunity.