Commercial Wine Bottle Payment - QP

CLAUDIA CHENDER « » : Yesterday in Estimates, the Premier acknowledged that the commercial wine bottling program had already begun, and then spent the better part of two hours avoiding having to disclose when the cheques were cut for bottling companies and how much has been paid out. Now the program has been paused, but Nova Scotia's farm wineries, grape growers, and the taxpayers footing the bill still deserve to know: How much have we paid to the two commercial bottlers who are eligible for the program?

HON. ALLAN MACMASTER « » : They're certainly fair questions. I would advise the members to remember that this whole issue started with a trade complaint, and because there were margins at the NSLC that gave a preference to Nova Scotia wines. The sales of those wines have an impact on trade, so I would ask the members to be understanding of that point, because it's one that certainly is the basis for which supports can be offered to the wine sector.

CLAUDIA CHENDER « » : Nothing in the trade decision talked about money to commercial bottlers, which is what I am asking about. That is not an answer.

With a mixture of agricultural and business skills, local farm wineries have grown the wine sector in this province exponentially. Instead of recognizing this, the Premier diminished the incredible growth of the local wine sector in recent years by telling them to just ramp it up. This is after, of course, the government quietly supported their friends at Devonian Coast. We have that price tag with $250,000 of our money to implement a commercial bottling program and an undisclosed sum on a commercial bottling program.

Investments in our farm wine sector doesn't need to be a matter of trade compliance. Agricultural subsidies are not the matter of trade disputes. Can the Premier tell us if he intends to introduce what the farm wineries have been asking for: support for growing grapes through the Department of Agriculture?

ALLAN MACMASTER « » : There are definitely fine points to the trade laws that we are working within. There's no question that it has been established that certain trade supports are compliant. I will say that as long as the support is compliant, it does not matter from which government department that the support comes from.