Finally, with regard to the.... I don't want to get into a debate about the HST. We all know our positions on this. But the real issue we're going to be facing with the tourism industry in Ontario is a lower number of visits by Americans because of WHTI and the high dollar. Evidence was presented to this committee on British Columbia being affected by the HST in tourism. Two reports were submitted.
Does your government have any plans on being more assertive in the tourism sector to try to increase American visits? A lot of attention has been paid to international visits, but the reduction in American visits is crippling communities in Ontario--everywhere from Fort Erie and the Niagara Falls region to my area.
We've seen a reduction, so is your government planning to do anything? The U.S. had programs to increase passports and so forth. Has your department thought about being more assertive in American markets to help this acquisition and to expand visits in regard to tourism?