Thank you, Madam Chair.
I especially want to thank my colleagues on the Standing Committee on Industry, Science and Technology for addressing the issue of the tourism industry. This issue is particularly significant in my constituency, of course, but also throughout Quebec and Canada.
I met with some of the people here or with representatives of different organizations a few times before and during the COVID-19 crisis. Ms. Bell, I believe that you used the canary example. You said that the tourism industry might be the last one to recover, but that it was the first one hit. We must take this into account.
In my opinion, the major challenge is that the programs seem very poorly adapted to the reality of tourism or cultural businesses. Today, we're also hearing from representatives of the culinary industry. These programs are hurting all these industries. I hope that this is one thing that we'll remember.
In particular, Mr. Vézina spoke of how the Canada emergency response benefit and the Canada emergency student benefit have affected the recruitment of workers. In several regions of Quebec, including my own region, labour shortages are still a major issue. This was the case before the crisis. If there isn't any adapted program to help people return to work, there will be issues. Also, in my opinion, the fixed costs included in the Canada emergency commercial rent assistance are generating a great deal more confusion than results.
In terms of the tourism industry, I believe that it's important to remember that the return to normal will take time. We're talking about 2023 or 2024. At least, that's what I've heard from people in the industry. Quebecers have been especially supportive. I've run into a number of them. I was fortunate, because several friends came to visit me in Abitibi Témiscamingue. International tourism brings in a great deal of money. We may have difficulty obtaining this type of security.
My message is as follows. We must ensure that our programs are geared towards a return over the long term. One challenge for the industry will be to determine how to return to normal. At one of our meetings, you suggested a return to 70% of activity levels, not just based on losses, but until things get back to normal. If we want festivals to come back and if restaurants want to continue their activities, we must take into account the fact that the summer season is short. We know that 65% of the tourism economy, or two-thirds, is generated in the summer. What will happen during the year? The key issue is the workforce. We must keep jobs active to ensure a long-term vision of development and to plan for next year.
My question is for Mr. Hamel, the representative of the Alliance de l'industrie touristique du Québec.
Could you finish your comments on the regional relief and recovery fund, or the RRRF? We know that tourism businesses are in dire need of cash flow to deal with the economic crisis. That's the crux of the matter.
Would changes to the current RRRF, to tailor the program to the tourism industry, provide a way for these businesses to quickly obtain the necessary cash flow and a subsidy at the end of the repayment process that could help get them back on their feet, just like an adapted version of the RRRF program?
