Sober Reflections : Commerce, Public Health, and the Evolution of Alcohol Policy in Canada, 1980-2000

Alcohol policies reflect conflicting ideological, social, health, and commercial agendas. Sober Reflections describes the development of alcohol policies at the national level and in Alberta, Quebec, and Ontario between 1980 and 2000. Using qualitative research methods, the essays examine the roles of key players, including governments, NGOs, public health advocates, and representatives of the alcohol industry. The contributors base their incisive papers on interviews with representatives from public health and the government, lobbyists, researchers, media, and those in the alcohol industries, as well as on an analysis of government documents, newspaper accounts, and official statistics. Contents Acknowledgments 1 Introduction 2 Alcohol in the Canadian Context 3 Case Studies of Alcohol Policy Formation: Power Politics, Public Opinion, and Research 4 Framework for Analysis: Policy Change, Networks, and Research 5 Introduction to Issues on Regulation of Alcohol across Borders 6 Trade Agreements and Disputes 7 Alcohol Smuggling in the 1990s: Policy Opportunism and Interventions 8 Discussion of Trade and Smuggling Issues 9 Introduction to Retail Privatization of Alcohol in Quebec, Alberta, and Ontario 10 The Proposed Privatization of the Quebec Liquor Corporation: The Never-Ending Story 11 The Alberta Experience with Privatization: An Exemplary Model or Cautionary Tale? 12 Privatization Postponed? Ontario’s Experience with Convergent Interests and Extensive Alcohol Marketing 13 Discussion of Alcohol Retail Privatization Initiatives in Three Provinces 14 Introduction to Regulation of Alcohol Marketing 15 Warning Labels on Alcoholic Beverage Containers: Public Support and Policy Failure? 16 Changes in Federal Regulation of Broadcast Advertisements for Alcoholic Beverages 17 Discussion of Warning Labels and Advertising Issues 18 Self-induced Intoxication as a Defence 19 Alcohol Policies: Is There a Future for Public Health Considerations in a Commerce-oriented Environment? Appendices A: Focus and Methods B: Forms and Documents Index A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W Y Contributors include Susan Bondy (Toronto), Andrée Demers (Montréal), Madelyn Fournier (consultant, Montreal), Norman Giesbrecht (Centre for Addiction and Mental Health, CAMH), Lynn Kavanagh (Mt Sinai Hospital, Toronto), Evert Lindquist (Victoria), Bronwyn MacKenzie (CAMH), Alan Ogborne (consultant), Robin Room (Stockholm), and Gina Stoduto (CAMH).