Thanks, Madam Chair.
First, congratulations to both of you on your appointments.
I certainly agree with my Conservative colleague that we need rapid testing for our economies to reopen more safely, but on August 10, Charlotte Bell, president of the Tourism Industry Association of Canada, came before us and said that because of the pandemic the tourism sector was first hit, and hardest hit and will be the last to recover. The hand-waving to suggest that somehow it is the fault of government rather than the pandemic is frustrating to me at times, especially when you see the first recommendation on August 10 that Ms. Bell gave to us. It was to extend the wage subsidy until next summer, which is exactly what this government has done. Another recommendation was, “For now, we need incentives for Canadians to visit their own country”.
Ms. Walden, when you look to your own approach at Destination Canada to encourage Canadians to travel domestically, how can we support those activities?