Mr. Speaker, Tourism Week in Canada is coming to a close. The Tourism Industry Association used this opportunity to make elected officials aware of public policies that are preventing Canada from capitalizing on the economic opportunities in the tourism sector.
The industry is worried. Two major issues are a threat to the future of our industry. The budget to promote Canada abroad does not allow us to compete against other international destinations. Furthermore, our airport charges are among the highest in the world, which puts us at a disadvantage compared to other North American destinations. The industry really does have good reason to be concerned.
The Minister of Transport considers questions about airport charges as an attack on the user-pay principle, and the Minister for Tourism publicly boasts about having reduced the Canadian Tourism Commission's budget by $14 million, which is more than what he was asked to cut according to the minister.
The NDP will continue to fight the government's inaction because an industry that injects $84 billion into our economy deserves to have its problems addressed.