Thank you, Madam Chair.
I'd like to say thank you to the witness and congratulate her on her appointment as president and CEO of Destination Canada. She's assuming this position at a critical time for our travel and tourism sector.
I had the pleasure of reviewing the state of the industry report. Within it were some staggering numbers, to say the least. You're indicating that if the border remains closed until the end of 2020, you're forecasting a 61% drop in tourism revenues. In my own community of Niagara Falls, that's about 70%. Again, you're forecasting that we shouldn't recover until 2024 from the high in 2019. Your report is specific in stating that it would be “a catastrophic loss for our economy”. Those are your organization's own words.
We've lost about 354,000 jobs. Statistics Canada says we could be losing up to 500,000 by the end of the year. Your report says that “without significant intervention, more jobs will be lost.”
Ms. Walden, has Destination Canada—your organization, working with the federal government—reached out to you to consult with you on the development of a sector-specific tourism recovery plan?