Provincial and territorial results and recommendations from the Canadian Alcohol Policy Evaluation project: Room for improvement.

Objective: To evaluate existing alcohol policies in Canadian provinces and territories (P/Ts) against evidence-based best practice policies aimed at reducing alcohol-related harms and improving population health.

Methods: Alcohol policies in Canadian P/Ts were evaluated across 11 policy domains. The scoring rubric was formulated based on the latest evidence-based public health criteria. Policy domains were weighted to reflect their relative effectiveness and scope. Data were collected by the research team, reviewed and validated by government contacts, and scored by designated team members. Scores were calculated for each P/T and policy domain. Additionally, a Best Existing Policies (BEP) score was calculated to demonstrate the score that could be achieved by any P/T if they adopted all the best policies currently in place somewhere in Canada.

Results: Scored against best practice policy criteria, the average score across all P/Ts was 37%; no province or territory scored ≥ 50%. Across the 11 domains, the highest scores were achieved in Manitoba (44%), Quebec (42%), and Newfoundland and Labrador (41%). Policy domains with the highest scores were screening and treatment interventions (67%), monitoring and reporting (63%), and liquor law enforcement (54%). Policy domains with the highest evidence of effectiveness (e.g., pricing and taxation, physical availability, and control system) were among the lowest scoring (29%, 40%, and 23%, respectively). The BEP score was 80%.

Conclusions: P/T governments have yet to adopt many of the evidence-based alcohol policies available. Improved policy adoption across P/Ts is achievable and could help address the health, social, and economic impacts of alcohol use.