Sommeliers across sa国际传媒 raised their glasses to a regional politician last weekend for winning the fight to freely transport wine for personal use across provincial borders.
Dan Albas, MP for Okanagan-Coquihalla, successfully championed the cause last year through a private member鈥檚 bill that became the聽Importation of Intoxicating Liquors Act.
The effort earned him the National Capital Sommelier Guild鈥檚 2012 Wine Person of the Year award, which was presented at the guild鈥檚 annual gala at the National Arts Center in Ottawa on Saturday.
鈥淢r. Albas鈥檚 efforts mean a great deal not only to wine enthusiasts,鈥� said guild president Bill Ellis, 鈥渂ut also to sa国际传媒鈥檚 wine industry and our national economy. His private-member鈥檚 bill removes an obsolete trade barrier and encourages the repeal of similar provincial and territorial laws.鈥�
Albas is intimately familiar with the wine industry as a former city councillor for Penticton and MP of a federal riding that includes one of sa国际传媒鈥檚 leading viticultural regions.
He said his fight to modernize the federal laws surrounding the industry continues.
鈥淏ill C-311 becoming law should not be thought as the end of the process, but rather as the beginning,鈥� said Albas in his acceptance speech. 鈥淢ore than 70 percent of wine currently sold in sa国际传媒 today comes from countries outside our borders and yet as we know, Canadian vintners can and do make some of the finest wines in the world.
鈥淟et us continue to work together to expand and to grow our outstanding Canadian wine industry.鈥�
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