Industry Committee on June 17th, 2008

[Michele McKenzie]

Measuring the effectiveness of our programs against the overall tourism performance in Canada is a very big focus for CTC, so we can certainly get you the information on what we are doing to measure the specific effectiveness of our programs and also the programs we implement with our partners.

One of the recommendations the TIAC report makes, which we agree with, is to also provide the information that helps benchmark Canada's marketing performance against the marketing performance of other countries. So that's also something we will be working on and we'd be happy to provide to the committee.

[The Chair, Conservative, James Rajotte]

Thank you. I have more questions, but I am out of time.

Monsieur Vincent.

[Robert Vincent, Bloc, Shefford, QC]

Thank you.

It's fascinating to see the government being put on trial because it is asking for a bit more money for access to airports, among other things. On the other hand, we will also have to monitor your efficiency, your performance. If I understood your answer to my colleague's question on New England correctly, you do some advertising in Boston. With regard to the Quebec International Air Show, which is held at Jean Lesage Airport, it seems that New Brunswick and Ontario are not close enough to Quebec City.

Ms. McKenzie and Mr. Williams, Quebec City's 400^th anniversary is coming up, and I would like to know what your overall strategy is for that event. I imagine that you have already made plans.

[The Chair, Conservative, James Rajotte]

Ms. McKenzie or Mr. Williams.

[Michele McKenzie]

Yes, we do. We've been working very closely with Quebec 400 for a numbers of years now. Last year we brought our major international marketplace, Rendez-vous Canada, to Quebec City. This year we're bringing our media marketplace to Quebec City, which is called GoMedia. We're bringing in international travel writers to write stories about what's happening in Quebec and bring those stories out to the world.

The federal government has invested millions of dollars in helping to present Quebec 400. We've been very much involved with the committees to ensure that we're telling the world about these events, and we're working very closely with the Quebec 400 organization.

We are not doing marketing independent of the Quebec 400 organization. We are working closely with the organization and with the Province of Quebec to tell that story to the world. My focus is primarily on the markets of France and the U.S.

[The Chair, Conservative, James Rajotte]

Mr. Williams.

[Randy Williams]

The committee should appreciate that the Canadian Tourism Commission is responsible for presenting Canada's brand in foreign markets in nine countries. But they do that with leverage and with collaboration with other marketing organizations in Canada, including Tourisme Québec, Québec City Tourism, even private operators, the regions in Quebec, and so on. Their involvement is not specific, where they would take one event and market it unilaterally; they are working in cooperation with other marketing interests in the Quebec area, specifically around this one event.

[Robert Vincent, Bloc, Shefford, QC]

That's not as clear as I would have thought. I didn't hear you talk about an action plan either. Moreover, I was struck by the fact that you're bringing in tourism copywriters from abroad. I think we have enough people here, and that we don't need to have others write about what happens here. It seems to me that those best placed to describe an event are those who experience it, or create it. What they produce can then be distributed in other countries.

Why doesn't it work that way? Why do you bring in copywriters from abroad? Please explain that, because I really have to understand.

Ms. McKenzie.

[Michele McKenzie]

We're not hiring travel writers. These travel writers are hired by the publications they work for. What we are doing is working with Quebec to host these writers in Quebec City during the 400th celebrations, specifically July 2 to July 6. They are not people who work for CTC. We are not hiring them. They work for newspapers and magazines around the world, and they are being hosted by the CTC and our partners in Quebec to come and see the celebrations and take the story back out to the world.

[The Chair, Conservative, James Rajotte]

Merci.

Merci, monsieur Vincent.

Ladies and gentlemen, I have to go and present on behalf of the committee at the Liaison Committee. The clerk and I have to leave. Madame Brunelle could volunteer to chair the committee for five minutes, but then we wouldn't have a clerk. There's obviously a lot of interest in this topic, and the committee may decide to do a second or third meeting on this.

We want to thank you all for being here before us today. Thank you for your presentations, and thank you for being in Toronto.

Mr. Facette, you were going to provide something further. If any of you have anything further, please provide it to the clerk. We will ensure that all members get it.

Steve, I didn't recognize you at first without your white cowboy hat, but welcome to you as well.

He was president of the Calgary Stampede, the second best rodeo in Canada next to the Canadian Finals Rodeo. I'm just kidding.

This will be our last meeting, so have a wonderful summer. We will see you back here in September. Thank you.

This meeting is adjourned.