I agree. Your question is right on the mark. It's a great question.
The CTC, the Canadian Tourism Commission, is much maligned, and I think a little unfairly. Its job is to put Canada in the minds of potential foreign visitors to our country. It's a tough job, with a budget that's half that of Las Vegas and half that of Australia, and we're supposed to promote this country around the world.
The $26 million that was recently announced is a welcome addition to the $75 million that the CTC has, but that's $26 million over five years. That's $5 million a year. We've been asking for $100 million for the last three years. So it's a drop in the bucket. It's a step in the right direction, but we need more to be able to compete on an international stage.
You talk about local promotion. Once we put Canada in the minds of foreigners, the provinces and the communities can follow behind with their sell messages. But if foreigners are not thinking of Canada as a destination in broad terms, then they're not going to be open to a message from Montreal or the Outaouais or anywhere else. They just don't know those communities well enough. They have to be thinking of Canada first saying, “Do you know what, dear? One day we should go to Canada” when they hear the ad, and then they'll open their minds to “Oh, Montreal is in Canada. Why don't we go there?”--or Quebec City or wherever.
It's important. Members of Parliament we've met have said, “Yes, the CTC's budget hasn't been increasing, but the provincial budget has.” Well, that's great, but we don't want 13 messages of Canada in foreign lands. It's just going to confuse the marketplace.
When you think of Australia, do you know what provinces or states are there? You don't buy Australia by province or state. You don't buy any country by that means. Maybe France, because of the wine regions, you might buy on a regional basis. But certainly Canada shouldn't be presenting itself in foreign countries by province or territory. They should follow up this Canadian message with their sell messages.