Thank you very much, Mr. Chair.
Thank you very much, Mr. Albas, for your work on this file. I'm delighted to be able to be one of the seconders of this important piece of legislation. In Canada there are a lot of challenges in agriculture and agrifood businesses in many regions of the country, but one of the things that's going really well is our wine industry.
When I was first elected in 1997, there weren't a lot of wineries in Nova Scotia. In fact, one of the pioneers of that industry is with us today. He's Hanspeter Stutz,who will be appearing in the next session. I'm delighted that tonight we're going to be entertaining so many parliamentarians and introducing them to great Nova Scotian wine.
There is growth in this industry, and the opportunities go beyond simply the wine industry. To be specific, they include the restaurant industry, the full hospitality industry, and beyond that. It's a significant opportunity.
I think it's great that we're moving toward one case on a personal basis, but why would it be only one case? Why not go for something more than that? In the nineties I lived in New York; I remember going to Napa Valley sometimes, and I wouldn't buy one case; I'd buy several, and ship them home. It was a great and ongoing part of my holiday. Is there the possibility to move to a greater liberalization in the future?
What are the barriers on the commercial side? Because the restaurant industry is important in terms of the development of our domestic wine industry, what should we be pushing for as next steps in terms of liberalizing the wine trade and reducing and eliminating interprovincial trade barriers?