Madam Chair, again, they are offering a bridge to companies that qualify for the programs they are offering, but the start-ups and the independent travel advisers do not qualify, so they are not helped at all.
There is another issue I have been hearing about from tourism-based operators in my riding, especially some of the ski resorts such as Big White and RED Mountain. These ski resorts hire primarily young international travellers who work in Canada on an international experience Canada visa. Sixty per cent of Big White's employees are in that category.
These people were there working when the pandemic hit. In many cases, they could not leave to go home so they worked out their visa and now those visas have run out. New visa applications to bring new workers in have been stalled. Big White especially has contacted me saying that it expects good business this year but it has no employees. It is down 40% or more of the employees it needs, yet the visa applications are going nowhere.
The ski areas are really desperate for these workers. What is the government doing to get these workers to Canada, where they can help our businesses thrive?