Let's hope the third time's the charm, Madam Chair.
I will start by reiterating what I said earlier, that it is really unfortunate that there is going to be only one meeting, it seems, on this incredibly important industry for our country, and that we've jammed so many witnesses in it that it's hard to get questions to all of them. I do hope that any others in the tourism industry out there who are listening and who would like to have this opportunity will take the suggestion made by my colleague Tracy Gray and write to the chair and the clerk to request that opportunity, because it is incredibly important.
Having said that, I have a couple of questions I'd like to get a chance to ask, and I want to get a chance to ask a few of you each of the questions. I'll start with the first question, which will be for CAFE or FAME, whichever of you would like to take it. The question is also for Meetings Mean Business and then TIAC as well. Hopefully there will be time for a second question to the Hotel Association and the Association Restauration Québec.
I'll start with the first question. A few of you alluded to or mentioned in your opening comments the idea that the tourism industry is very different from almost any other industry that we're dealing with coming out of this pandemic, because of the fact that it was hit first and hit hardest and because it will have the longest recovery. Many of you mentioned the idea of next spring being that time, because of the fact that it's a seasonal industry in many places, and for things like events and festivals it means two years, essentially, without revenues. It is a very long period of time for a business to be able to sustain itself, especially when many of these businesses are small businesses or, in some cases, non-profits.
It would have been better for me to ask this during the initial round, but because they alluded to it, I'd like to ask those three organizations if they could give us just 30 seconds each to explain just a bit more to those who aren't as familiar with the industry as I am or others who are on here why exactly the tourism industry is different and what the impacts are of the government treating the tourism industry in the same way it is treating other small businesses that maybe have an opportunity to either continue to carry on business in a different fashion or turn things back on more quickly.
I'll ask CAFE or FAME first, and then Meetings Mean Business and then TIAC to just give us 30 seconds each to explain that to those who are less familiar with the industry.