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e-313 (Labelling of food products)

E-petition
Initiated by Alan Dickinson from Okanagan Falls, British Columbia

Original language of petition: English

Petition to the Government of Canada

Whereas:
  • In 1994 the Canadian government enacted an 'interim' guideline which allowed wines produced from grapes not grown in Canada to be labelled as "Cellared in Canada" (CIC), to help transition the industry through a major replanting program;
  • Today, over two decades later, the Canadian wine industry has grown to have a nearly $7B annual impact on the Canadian economy, with many international accolades;
  • Despite this growth and maturity, the practice of Canadian producers making wine from grapes not grown in Canada and labelling this product as "Cellared in Canada" persists, mainly via a select few large scale mass wine producers, as the 1994 interim designation is still in force;
  • Numerous credible articles on the subject express that this practice is detrimental to the Canadian wine industry as a whole and misleading for consumers. The majority of Canadian wine producers and industry professionals agree with this characterization; and
  • Numerous Canadian wine industry professionals feel the 1994 interim CIC exemption should be reviewed by the government, with a focus on rescinding it to be consistent with international standards for labeling.
We, the undersigned, Citizens of Canada, call upon the Government of Canada to remove the decades old “interim” Cellared in Canada exemption from Canadian Food Inspection Agency requirements for country of origin statement for wines blended in Canada, and ensure that the origin of grape products in Canadian wine are listed on the label of the wine in a manner consistent with international standards for identifying the content of blended wines by their national origin in descending order of their percentage of the blend.
Government response tabled on January 18, 2017 (Sessional Paper No. 8545-421-105-01)
Open for signature
April 20, 2016, at 11:27 a.m. (EDT)
Closed for signature
August 18, 2016, at 11:27 a.m. (EDT)
Presented to the House of Commons
Michelle Rempel (Calgary Nose Hill)
November 14, 2016 (Petition No. 421-00872)
Government response tabled
January 18, 2017
Photo - Michelle Rempel
Calgary Nose Hill
Conservative Caucus
Alberta