SAQ must loosen grip on ‘state monopoly’ of liquor sales, private retailers say
Posted April 23, 2024 11:38 am.
Nearly three-quarters of small business owners in Quebec believe the province’s government-owned liquor authority should end its monopoly on the sale of certain alcohol, a new survey shows.
Most owners (72 per cent) say private retailers should be able to sell the same products as the Société des alcools du Québec (SAQ). And 74 per cent believe alcohol sold directly by producers should not be subject to taxes and SAQ surcharges.
That’s according to survey findings by the Canadian Federation of Independent Business (CFIB), which polled 492 small business owners in Quebec.
More than four-in-five (83 per cent) also feel the SAQ should do more to promote locally produced alcohol in its stores.
Quebec’s liquor model favours “state bureaucracy rather than the clientele,” according to CFIB vice-president François Vincent.
“It is a state monopoly that inhibits entrepreneurs and imposes higher costs on customers,” he added.
The results of the survey were released on the eve of a potential strike, with 5,000 SAQ employees slated to walk off the job Wednesday and Thursday.
The Syndicat des employé-es de magasins et de bureaux (SEMB-SAQ-CSN) was granted a strike mandate last month.
Primarily at issue are permanent positions, with the union saying 70 per cent of employees work part time or on call. Employees also want access to group insurance, training for staff, and a greater number of wine consultants.
