International Trade Committee on June 15th, 2022

[Tony Baldinelli, Conservative, Niagara Falls, ON]

Thank you, Madam Chair.

I'd like to thank all the stakeholders for being with us today.

It's already June 15, and 75% of the tourism revenues are going to be generated within 25% of the year, which is June onwards. In only four months, the tourism sector will look to generate 75% of the revenues they need.

You all mentioned the importance of American visitors and that the continued use of ArriveCAN is placing a great impediment on the free flow of visitors into Canada. It's serving as a disincentive to wanting to come to Canada.

Ms. Potter, do you believe that the continued use of ArriveCAN places the 2022 tourism year in jeopardy?

[Beth Potter]

It certainly is having a negative impact on the number of international visitors who are arriving. The forecasting that we've seen looks at different countries and how fast we expect they will come back. Right now, the U.S. will be the last country to get back to 2019 numbers. It will take us until almost 2026 to do so.

[Tony Baldinelli, Conservative, Niagara Falls, ON]

Excellent. In my own community again, American visitors are about 23% or 25% of our visitor base, but they account for over 50% of the revenues generated. In 2019, the best tourism year in my community, we generated $2.4 billion in tourism receipts. That's at risk because of the impact of the border and the difficulties that are being placed on the industry.

You indicated earlier that, following the budget, several programs ended and no additional dollars were provided. My rationale to the government is saying that, if you're not going to provide any additional supports to the tourism sector and you've ended the programs that the stakeholders had asked to be extended, let them do what it is that they do best, and that is to welcome people from throughout the world.

That's my call to the government. Let's stop the mandatory use of this ArriveCAN application. Would you agree with that?

[Beth Potter]

I would. It's really hard for visitors—and we have 10 million day visitors coming across the border from the U.S. every year—to complete the ArriveCAN app, because they don't have an address in Canada to which they're going and they don't have a place where they can quarantine. They are having a really big challenge; thus, we are seeing up to 50% fewer U.S. travellers coming across for day trips as it stands right now. This includes seniors groups travelling on motorcoaches.

I was talking to people at some of our duty-free stores just last week, and whereas they would normally get 50 motorcoaches coming through their store on a weekend, they're now getting two.

[Tony Baldinelli, Conservative, Niagara Falls, ON]

I'll ask one last question if I can. This is for Mr. Weber.

You indicated some of the difficulties in the role that your officers are playing. You're saying that they're assuming more of an IT consultant role in assisting Americans who simply don't know about the application when they reach the border. The government indicated today that they're buying billboards. That's totally insufficient.

I wanted to ask this question. Did the government approach the union to discuss the implementation of ArriveCAN for the officers, how it would be implemented and how it would impact staff?

[Mark Weber]

We were not consulted at all on anything that was planned or rolled out. Again, you would think that they would ask the people who work on the border every day how best to do things at the border, but that simply wasn't the case.

[Tony Baldinelli, Conservative, Niagara Falls, ON]

Exactly.

Thank you.

[The Chair, Liberal, Judy Sgro]

Ms. Dhillon, I can probably squeeze in one question, if you'd like.

[Anju Dhillon, Liberal, Dorval—Lachine—LaSalle, QC]

Sure. My question is for Mr. Agnew.

In your opinion, what kind of epidemiological indicators should be considered when determining lifting, or reinstating, public health measures at the border?

[Mark Agnew]

Sorry. You mean reinstating the ones that were lifted this past week?

[Anju Dhillon, Liberal, Dorval—Lachine—LaSalle, QC]

Yes.

[Mark Agnew]

That's a question outside of our expertise, and I'll readily admit that. My wife would love to hear me say on the record that I get it wrong and I don't always know the answer. I'll clip and save that for her.

Kidding aside, if the government has a plan, I haven't seen it. I think it's really critical that we use the period right now for the government to talk to industry about what the plan is to live with COVID-19 in the endemic phase—if I'm allowed to use that term, as a non-epidemiological expert.

[Anju Dhillon, Liberal, Dorval—Lachine—LaSalle, QC]

Would you take into account the global epidemiological context yourself, as well, putting the government aside?

[Mark Agnew]

Absolutely. I think everything we do in the pandemic response should look at the global situation. That's in part, for instance, why we're saying we should be lifting things like vaccine mandates, because other countries have gone in that direction. What's going on globally is going to be important.

[Anju Dhillon, Liberal, Dorval—Lachine—LaSalle, QC]

Perfect. Thank you.

[The Chair, Liberal, Judy Sgro]

Thank you all very much.

Thank you to our witnesses.

I have to move adjournment.