House of Commons Hansard #100 of the 41st Parliament, 2nd Session. (The original version is on Parliament's site.) The word of the day was benefit.

Topics

Strengthening Canadian Citizenship Act

11:30 p.m.

Bloc

Louis Plamondon Bloc Bas-Richelieu—Nicolet—Bécancour, QC

Mr. Speaker, the Bloc Québécois is voting no.

Strengthening Canadian Citizenship Act

11:30 p.m.

Green

Elizabeth May Green Saanich—Gulf Islands, BC

Mr. Speaker, the Green Party votes no.

Strengthening Canadian Citizenship Act

11:30 p.m.

Independent

Dean Del Mastro Independent Peterborough, ON

Mr. Speaker, I support the government.

Strengthening Canadian Citizenship Act

11:30 p.m.

Independent

Brent Rathgeber Independent Edmonton—St. Albert, AB

Mr. Speaker, I vote no.

(The House divided on the motion, which was agreed to on the following division:)

Vote #200

Strengthening Canadian Citizenship Act

11:30 p.m.

Conservative

The Speaker Conservative Andrew Scheer

I declare the motion carried.

Canada-Honduras Economic Growth and Prosperity Act

11:30 p.m.

Conservative

The Speaker Conservative Andrew Scheer

Pursuant to order made on Monday, June 9, the House will now proceed to the taking of the deferred recorded division on the motion at third reading stage of Bill C-20.

(The House divided on the motion, which was agreed to on the following division:)

Vote #201

Canada-Honduras Economic Growth and Prosperity Act

11:40 p.m.

Conservative

The Speaker Conservative Andrew Scheer

I declare the motion carried.

(Bill read the third time and passed)

Canada-Honduras Economic Growth and Prosperity Act

11:40 p.m.

Conservative

John Duncan Conservative Vancouver Island North, BC

Mr. Speaker, I believe if you seek it, you would find unanimous consent to see the clock at 12:00 a.m.

Canada-Honduras Economic Growth and Prosperity Act

11:40 p.m.

Conservative

The Speaker Conservative Andrew Scheer

Is it agreed?

Canada-Honduras Economic Growth and Prosperity Act

11:40 p.m.

Some hon. members

Agreed.

A motion to adjourn the House under Standing Order 38 deemed to have been moved.

TourismAdjournment Proceedings

11:40 p.m.

NDP

Annick Papillon NDP Québec, QC

Mr. Speaker, I asked the tourism minister to fix his mistakes and stop bragging about cutting the Canadian Tourism Commission's budget by 20% or one-fifth.

This week is Tourism Week in Canada, and it is high time that the minister took responsibility and that the government invested in our tourism industry, which creates many good jobs in every region of the country and promotes the development of our SMEs, the country's main economic engine.

We must keep the industry competitive and take note of the Rozon report, for example. There is no good reason to cut the commission's budget by 20%. These cuts will have a disastrous effect on the industry. The funding must continue so that the our country remains competitive internationally. There is a lot of competition, and the government must invest rather than making cuts. The government must do something about the fact that this industry is underfunded. Tourism is suffering greatly right now because of the Conservatives' lack of interest in this industry.

In 2013, the number of tourists who visited Canada increased by 2.9%, which is woefully inadequate when compared to the fact that the number of international tourists increased by 5% elsewhere in the world. It is unbelievable.

Furthermore, from 2002 to 2012, the number of international visitors to Canada dropped, and Canada fell from 7th to 16th out of the top 20 countries. In 2013 we dropped again to 17th place. If we do not do something now, we will plunge even further down the list and we will never be able to recover from where we have fallen these past few years.

That is why the situation is urgent and worrisome. Hotels, the Office du tourisme, the Canadian Tourism Commission, restaurants and everyone who participates directly or indirectly in this industry will suffer.

In order to get back into the top 10 international tourist destinations, we need to continue making investments. I have a table from the Canadian Tourism Commission that supports what I am saying. If we had maintained or improved our investments in tourism, our increase would have been higher than global growth, since our share of the market was 25% in 1996 before dropping to 12.5% in 2011.

Canada will once again lose one-quarter of its share of the market for long-haul international trips by 2015. That is a loss of 1.2 million potential visitors and $834 million in new export earnings. We need to do everything we can not only to maintain investments, but also to improve this industry. The industry could certainly use it.

TourismAdjournment Proceedings

11:45 p.m.

Calgary East Alberta

Conservative

Deepak Obhrai ConservativeParliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Foreign Affairs and for International Human Rights

Mr. Speaker, I am happy to respond to the comments made earlier by the hon. member regarding tourism marketing.

Tourism is an important sector for all regions across Canada. The Government of Canada supports the competitiveness of our national tourism sector and works closely with industry to ensure that Canada remains a top tourist destination. This is exactly what we committed to in last year's Speech from the Throne.

There is plenty of good news on this front. I am pleased to note that the industry continues to grow. In 2013, tourism revenues in Canada increased by 3% to over $84 billion, and the tourism sector provided more than 618,000 jobs.

To sustain the growth and positive momentum of our tourism sector, the Government of Canada launched the federal tourism strategy in 2011. The strategy positions Canada's tourism sector to take advantage of international growth opportunities. So far it has yielded tangible results to reduce barriers that were hampering the performance of the sector. For example, we have signed 80 air transport agreements with top priority markets such as China, India, and Japan. There are also a growing number of visa application centres worldwide.

We have a very talented marketing agency that does a great job of attracting international tourists to Canada. The Canadian Tourism Commission promotes Canada as a premier tourist destination in priority markets around the world, some of which have shown impressive growth. For example, the number of visitors from China grew by over 22% last year. India is another market that is showing great growth potential. That is why the Minister of State for Tourism led a tourism stakeholder mission to India in February 2013.

The Canadian Tourism Commission has also been successful in attracting meetings, conventions, and business travellers to Canada, which together generated $120 million in revenue last year. In fact, the CTC played a central role in convincing the internationally renowned TED Conference to relocate to Vancouver from its home in California this year and in 2015. This was a huge win for Canada.

Furthermore, the Canadian Tourism Commission's business model allows it to adapt quickly to changing market conditions and to leverage new opportunities as they arise. In fact, the CTC leveraged 80¢ in contributions from industry partners for every dollar of appropriations in 2013, allowing for a greater marketing and advertising reach for Canadian tourism.

Last year the Canadian Tourism Commission's partners contributed $47.7 million to its marketing activities and events.

Tourism in Canada is growing. At the same time, our industry is facing increased competition worldwide. To be successful, Canada's tourism industry must innovate and adapt to offer the memorable experiences travellers are seeking. Governments can help by creating an environment for our tourism businesses to compete and thrive.

TourismAdjournment Proceedings

11:50 p.m.

NDP

Annick Papillon NDP Québec, QC

Mr. Speaker, I think that this government is hiding its head in the sand like an ostrich. It has blinders on. However, it must take action now.

There is no doubt that this government has done absolutely nothing. It caused particular harm to the tourism industry with its employment insurance reform. It also refused to improve the condition of Parks Canada infrastructure. Parks Canada needs ongoing investments to update its facilities and make it easier to access the parks. The government could also make it easier for Mexicans to get visas, for example, because we know that the industry is asking for that. The temporary foreign worker program is now in complete disarray. This is obviously having an impact on the tourism industry in my riding and likely in the ridings of many members here.

If the government does not take action to defend the industry, we will suffer for it later. For example, the government made cuts to the International Festival of Military Bands in Quebec City, which brought in about $12 million and cost about $3 million. There are other examples of similar situations. The government is depriving the country of extra money.

It is a shame and a disgrace, and it is what we call burying one's head in the sand.

TourismAdjournment Proceedings

11:50 p.m.

Conservative

Deepak Obhrai Conservative Calgary East, AB

Mr. Speaker, I know it is late at night, but I can assure the hon. member that my head is out looking at these things. It is not in the sand, as she said.

Let me say that there is plenty of good news to report about tourism in Canada. The industry continues to grow, as I have stated. In 2013, tourism revenues in Canada increased by 3% to over $84 billion.

We also have a very talented marketing agency, which does a great job of attracting international tourists to Canada. The Canadian Tourism Commission continues to promote Canada as a premier tourist destination in priority markets around the world, some of which are showing impressive growth.

Canada has one of the strongest country brands in the world. Our government is committed to working with our provincial and territorial counterparts as well as with the tourism industry to ensure that Canada remains a top tourist destination.

TourismAdjournment Proceedings

11:50 p.m.

NDP

The Deputy Speaker NDP Joe Comartin

The hon. member for Esquimalt—Juan de Fuca not being present to raise during the adjournment proceedings the matter for which notice has been given, the notice is deemed withdrawn.

Pursuant to order made Tuesday, May 27, 2014, the motion to adjourn the House is now deemed to have been adopted. Accordingly, this House stands adjourned until tomorrow at 2 p.m., pursuant to Standing Order 24(1).

(The House adjourned at 11:53 p.m.)