Festivals and events are what animate our country and what put us as a great attraction to visitors from other countries. For example, at the highest level, obviously, are the Olympics, which I've mentioned, but there's the winter carnival and other events, the Grand Prix in Montreal and so on, which are critical as drivers and motivators for travellers to come to any destination. They're critically important and seen as a key part of the tourism industry in Canada.
On December 4th, 2007. See this statement in context.