International Trade committee  Mr. Brison, thanks. I think we can undertake to do that. It's a very good suggestion, and there are some things we could do to mitigate it. May I just mention—I didn't make the point and I agree—that Diane Ablonczy has been an excellent representative of our interests and a real stalwart champion of tourism at the cabinet table, and that was seen in the last budget.

International Trade committee  I have a point about the receptivity Canada shows to foreigners. It has to do with the customs halls in Canadian airports. There is a consensus out there that many of these new airports are a bit of a barren environment: there aren't enough posters of Canada, not necessarily enough shots of the local scenery and environment.

International Trade committee  Maybe I could take that one, having lived overseas in Europe for a few years. The Schengen Accord governs the movement of people--

International Trade committee  Yes, and they have a multiplicity of languages, and the fact that they can make that work is quite a testament to joint cooperation. I think it's probably worth looking at the concept that Michael Kergin, the former Canadian ambassador to Washington, advanced a couple of months ago in the National Post about the idea of a permanent joint border commission.

Industry committee  I'd like to point out that Canada is up against a number of other destinations in the world that have made a very serious commitment to attracting international visitors. I'm thinking, for example, of Dubai, which has made massive investments in its tourism and travel infrastructure.

Industry committee  Just very briefly, Monsieur Simard, tourism is in the front line of facing the effects of global climate change. A lot of the iconic tourism destinations around the world, including the Canadian Rockies, the Swiss Alps, and the Great Barrier Reef in Australia, are under assault from climate change.

Industry committee  The British Columbia market, for instance, is in desperate need of lift from a number of markets, like Singapore, India. Just the other day in B.C., Premier Campbell announced the prospect of a direct flight from Delhi to Vancouver, with a new airline out of India. I think it's called Kingfisher.

Industry committee  Very quickly, I think that the importance of cultural tourism has been reflected in Ontario recently. Renovations to the ROM, the art gallery of Ontario, and construction of the new Four Seasons Centre for the Performing Arts are going to drive visitation to Toronto again. After a long period when perhaps there wasn't investment in those iconic artistic centres, they're now beginning to do that again, and it should be beneficial.

Industry committee  Mr. Stanton, you raised a very relevant point. I think there's an erroneous stereotype out there that we need to correct. Where there has been growth in the tourism industry in recent years, it has been in areas that are quite sophisticated and high-end, such as boutique hotels, specialty cuisine and wineries, spas and wellness centres, golf facilities, and backcountry hiking and skiing, often accessible by helicopters.

Finance committee  Thanks. That's a good question. Just by way of background, Canada has two open skies aviation agreements at the moment; the United States has 70-odd. We are just now embarking on negotiating one with the European Union. It would assist our industry immensely if there could be a greater range of destinations from outbound markets into Canada, a greater range of flight options and fares, and more airlines flying.

Finance committee  What we've detected in the last few years is that there has been a population shift and a shift of economic wealth away from the northeastern United States into the southwest, the midwest—the Rocky Mountain range—in the States. Those people are deemed to be mid- to longer-haul U.S. markets.

Finance committee  I think we'll see the travel deficit aggravated significantly as more and more Canadians are incentivized to head south of the border. We'll eventually see dislocation and some trouble within the border towns. I think the bigger cities will probably be okay, but some of the smaller border towns, who are used to a regular custom of American visitors, will probably begin to feel some pain.

Finance committee  Thank you for the question, Mr. McCallum. Clearly, the industry was concerned last year with the cancellation of the visitor rebate program. We were heartened to see the replacement of two-thirds of it, which dealt with the group tour market and the meetings market in the form of a foreign convention and tour incentive program.

Finance committee  It would be a considerable concern, but we are doing what we can at the moment. We are gearing up to market the Olympics in 2010, and the government has recently made a significant and much appreciated investment in that marketing effort. So, yes, over the longer run, we would like to tap into that market, particularly if the U.S. market stays in the doldrums.

Finance committee  Thank you very much, Mr. Chair. First, let me thank the committee for the opportunity to appear before you to share our views with respect to your investigation of the impact of the rising value of the Canadian dollar in various economic sectors. First let me thank the committee for the opportunity to appear before you to share our views with respect to your investigation of the impact of the value of the dollar.