Thank you, Mr. Ste-Marie, for your very relevant question.
It should be noted that, in Canada, we've had the good fortune of living in a very inclusive society. Foreign tourists had a great deal of fun and came to Canada in large numbers for many reasons. These reasons include the fact that our country is known to be safe, welcoming and also very festive because of our many festivals and events.
The current crisis is affecting and will certainly affect festivals in a major way. Many festivalgoers come from foreign countries or other Canadian provinces. We're told that the crisis will affect the behaviour of travellers, particularly with respect to large gatherings. We need Health Canada to look at this rather exceptional aspect of our industry, the issue of gatherings. We understand that the measures regarding physical distancing and gatherings will be among the last to remain in place. This issue will either make or break the economic recovery of our tourism industry.
We need measures to support festivals and events that can't take place this summer. We need to maintain the subsidies provided by the different levels of government. We must also make these sectors eligible for the 75% wage subsidy.
As I said at the start, we're asking the government for more flexibility regarding the eligibility criteria for this subsidy, which is vital to our industry. The seasonal factor and the Canada Revenue Agency's definition of revenue in relation to passes, bookings and so on, must be taken into account.
We'll need special support. As I said, Health Canada must work with the industry and show understanding with regard to the measures implemented so that the industry can get back on its feet as quickly as possible.