The N.B. retiree whose border-beer battle could change Confederation
FREDERICTON — A New Brunswick retiree who just wanted to buy cheaper suds is about to find out if his 2012 beer run to Quebec will change the nature of Confederation.
The Supreme Court of Canada is to make a key ruling Thursday on interprovincial trade, in a case that began when Gerard Comeau was stopped by police with 14 cases of beer and three bottles of liquor in his trunk.
“I’m a Canadian citizen. I can go and shop wherever I want. You can buy clothes, shoes, jewellery, everything and bring it over. How come beer is limited?” Comeau said Wednesday from his home in Tracadie, a small community in the northeast of the province.
The low-key, 64-year-old retired NB Power linesman was fined nearly $300.