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These are both worthy issues. Supply management is the epitome of collusion between politics and special interests: to avoid provoking controversy in a handful of ridings, successive federal governments have used the state’s regulatory powers to force every Canadian family to pay more than necessary for vital goods, all to benefit a tiny number of Canadians and their lucrative commercial enterprises. As to freeing the beer, Canada’s interprovincial trade barriers are an insult to the very notion of Canada being a coherent and united federation. The issue is much broader than just beer and wine: report after report has pegged the cost of these barriers at tens of billions of dollars a year.

Unfortunately, politicians love to talk about these issues when they’re not in a position to do anything about them, but lose that enthusiasm once in power. It’s great to hear Bernier talking tough on supply management. Likewise, it’s terrific to hear from Albas on the important issue of freer internal trade. But it’s hard to overlook the fact that they both served in a government that failed to repair the situation.

Over their nearly 10 years in power, the Tories talked a good game, from time to time, about freeing up internal trade, and some Tories lamented the alcohol controls put in place (or preserved) by their colleagues at the provincial legislatures. James Moore, formerly minister of industry, tried to rally support for changes. But little was actually accomplished when it came to tearing down the trade barriers erected by the parochial-minded governments of many of our provinces and territories.