Government Liquor Control in Canada - Liquor Control in Canadian Provinces - Prepared by the Association Against the Prohibition Amendment

Sep 28, 2026

Uploaded by Connor

Government liquor control in Canada outlines how provincial systems replaced prohibition for addressing problems of intemperance. It surveys adoption timelines from Quebec’s 1921 start through later reforms in other provinces, contrasts the structure with U.S. misunderstandings, and explains how official information was gathered through on-site investigations. The pamphlet details “States’ Rights” dynamics, the role of the Canada Temperance Act, local-option voting, and the fundamental principles behind liquor monopoly and government-exclusive spirit sales.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryHealthcare

FormatPDF

Pages31

Reading Time1 h 18 min

AccessFree to download

Liquor Control in Canadian Provinces

States' Rights in Canada

Fundamentals of Liquor Control

97-84072-18 Association Against theProhibition AmendmentGovernment liquor control in Canada [Washington] [1929] # COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY LIBRARIESPRESERVATION DIVISIONBIBLIOGBAPHIC MICROFORM TARGET ORIGINAL MATERIAL AS FILMED-EXISTING BIBLIOGRAPHIC RECORD Reproductions may not be made without permission from Columbia University Libraries RESTRICTIONS ON USE: TECHNICAL MICROFORM DATA FILM SIZE: 35mREDUCTION RATIO: 9:/ MAGE PLACEMENT:IA IB DATE FILMED: 515/97 INITIALS: TLM TRACKING\#: 23748 FILMED BY PRESERVATION RESOURCES,BETHLEHEM,PA. | 308
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GOVERNMENT
LIOUOR CONTROL
IN CANADA
Prepared by the
ASSOCIATION AGAINST THE
PROHIBITON AMENDMEM
NATIONAL PRESS BUILDINC
WASHINGTON,D.C.
Research Department
JOHN C.GEBHART,Director
Published Oetober 1,1929 | | --- | # GOVERNMENTLIQUOR CONTROLIN CANADA Prepared by the ASSOCIATION AGAINST THEPROHIBITION AMENDMENT NATIONAL PRESS BUILDINGWASHINGTON,D.C. Research DepartmentJoHN C.GEBHART,Director Published October 1,1929 A # Liquor Control in Canadian Provinces OF the nine provinces in Canada,sevenUhave abandoned prohibition and in itsplace have established government liquor con-trol as the better solution of the problems ofintemperance.Only two provinces on theAtlantic seaboard,Nova Scotia and littlePrince Edward Island,still cling to bone-drylaws.Of the Dominion's population,thereare 8,877,000,or more than 93 per cent,living in provinces having liquor controlstatutes,and 629,700 under prohibition. Quebec is the pioneer in the Canadianliquor control movement,having introducedthe system in May,1921.A month laterBritish Columbia followed suit.In 1923,1924 and 1925,Manitoba,Alberta andSaskatchewan,respectively,adopted the plan.The latest provinces to take up the reform areOntario and New Brunswick,which madethe change from prohibition in 1927. In the United States,there has been con-siderable misunderstanding about Canadianliquor legislation.It is not known generallythat there are seven liquor control systems,notwo of which are exactly alike.As each pro-vince has found the experiment of prohibi-tion a failure,it has embraced the broad prin-ciple of government control as a corrective,but the seven laws based on that principlehave been so framed as to conform to condi-tions peculiar to the locality. Inasmuch as the advanced legislation of aneighboring country,where prohibition hasbeen tried,has a direct bearing on the liquorproblem in the United States,this pamphlethas been prepared for persons who may wishto know the facts about the Canadian sys-tems,and particularly for those who acceptthe evils of the Volstead Act only because theyprefer that law to the saloon. Official information,outside the field ofcontroversy,is presented herewith.It hasbeen supplemented with material gathered onthe ground by representatives of this Associa-tion who were sent into every province ofCanada.Their investigations,which lastedseveral months,brought them into contactwith government officers,who spoke with au-thority,and also enabled them to observeconditions at first hand. # "States'Rights"in Canada While Canadian provinces have not been1mmune from certain legislative inroads bythe Federal government,which have created aproblem similar to the States'Rights issue inthe United States,the liquor enactments ofthe Dominion Parliament have in the mainbeen either permissive or supplementary toprovincial statutes.The Canada TemperanceAct of 1878 empowered communitiesthroughout the provinces to adopt local op-tion legislation.In the days of the WorldWar,a wave of prohibition legislation sweptover the country.The Federal governmentlater amended the Temperance Act so as toenable dry provinces to exclude importationof intoxicating li

FAQs

What prompted Canadian provinces to replace prohibition with government liquor control?

Provinces concluded prohibition was a failure and adopted government control as a corrective for the problems of intemperance.

When did the government liquor control system begin in Canada?

Quebec introduced the system in May 1921, followed by British Columbia a month later, with further adoption by other provinces in the mid-1920s.

What are the fundamental ideas behind the Canadian liquor control scheme?

The scheme is based on creating a government monopoly, eliminating private profit, and giving the government the exclusive right to sell spirits.

Sep 28, 2026

Uploaded by Connor