From control to customer service, government control of liquor in Ontario, 1927-1972
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Date
2000
Authors
Jaeger, Sharon A.
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University of Waterloo
Abstract
The first four and a half decades of government control of liquor in Ontario, from 1927 to 1972, saw a general trend away from an early emphasis on moral control towards a commitment to business-oriented customer service. This trend, however, was far from consistent. The government adopted two predominant, though often incompatible, roles for its liquor boards. It intended the Liquor Control Board of Ontario (LCBO), the retail agent, and the Liquor Licence Board of Ontario (LLBO), the licensing body created later with the reintroduction of public drinking, to function both as moral guardians and as customer service providers. These twin impulses informed policy change throughout the entire period.
The moral control character of the early government control structure was not surprising given the province's decade-long experience of Prohibition, the lingering prohibitionist sentiment in the province and the political tradition of paternalistic reliance on the state to regulate a dangerous or special product like alcohol. What was surprising in the early history of government control, was the clear emphasis on customer service. As a government monopoly, the LCBO was forced not only to justify its existence through a minimum standard of service, but in the immediate aftermath of Prohibition, it needed to wean drinkers away from a reliance on bootleggers, now direct competition for the LCBO.
The notable aspect of liquor control in Ontario was the enduring character of this moral control philosophy and its conflict with increasing customer demands in the post-World War Two era. The government's reliance on incremental policy change contributed to the endurance of these moral controls. This approach to policymaking flowed from the province's traditional 'progressive conservative' political culture, which valued the status quo and slow, cautious change only when supported by a large majority of society. Several pressures impelled change and clashed with this cautious approach throughout the period: consistent demands for private alcohol retail; constant lobby efforts by the tourism industry; and frequent petitions by Ontarians for the types of drinking and retailing services observed in other regions of North America and Europe. These pressures coincided with an overwhelming post-war shift in social attitudes towards greater permissiveness in all public indulgences. These forces impelling change clashed with forces resisting liquor law liberalisation. The resulting tensions challenged Ontario policymakers to adapt a system predicated on significant moral control to a post-war society dedicated to a belief in personal freedoms restricted only be reasonable limits to ensure healthy lifestyle choices.
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