We had a debate not too long ago with Ben Lobb's bill in the House. He was talking about reducing the cost, partly because producers in the United States do not pay the same high excise tax that we do here in Canada, and it is the same with the Europeans.
As we continue to live longer, etc., just to your point about health and whatnot.... I'm not even going to go into the argument of harm and all that stuff. I'll stay very focused.
Makers in British Columbia, such as Victoria Distillers, have said that they have not been able to break into the American market as strongly as they want to because their cost is so much higher. They were looking for excise relief.
Let's not forget, though, that they would be able to buy more Canadian products from Canadian farmers and would be able to produce them here. These are groups like Maple Leaf Spirits on Naramata Road in Penticton. It used to be all wineries on the Naramata Bench. There are some of these artisan spirits and distillers who are trying to make a go of it, and it's very difficult under that regulatory environment.
As I said, if you look at what happened with the wine industry when 100% Canadian content was made exempt, we now have hundreds of wineries across the country. When we actually made some excise relief for beer, the microbrewery movement went up tremendously. I would suggest that this is going to really harm the spirits manufacturers, whether they be big or small.
Thank you, Mr. Chair.