Quebec government tabled its “alcohol regime” modernization bill on February 21, 2018. Restaurant Canada consulted its Quebec members on this issue and lobbied extensively in favor of the bill to make sure government would stay the course and deliver on its promise to help the industry.
The current proposal would allow alcohol to be served without a meal as long as a full kitchen is open. Patios could be opened to adults with minors until 11PM, instead of 8PM. New delivery and catering permits would be introduced to help operators that have specific needs. Also, many rule simplifications would now be in place and obtaining the license would be made easier. As you can see, it is a fight worthy of our participation.
The next step was the Parliamentary Commission and presenting our brief. We had the opportunity to do so on April 17. Our team was joined by one of our Quebec members to debate the matter at National Assembly. It was a great opportunity to engage in public discussions with elected officials and make our points in an official forum.
Next steps will involve an article by article study of the bill, and hopefully, it can be passed before the session ends.
You can find here a link to the video of our participation (in French): http://www.assnat.qc.ca/fr/video-audio/archives-parlementaires/travaux-commissions/AudioVideo-76195.html
Restaurants Canada also wrote a complete brief (in French) that you can consult on our website at: https://www.restaurantscanada.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/Restaurants-Canada-PL-170.pdf