Debates of Feb. 22nd, 2021

Industry, Science and Technology

[Dominic LeBlanc, Liberal, President of the Queen’s Privy Council for Canada and Minister of Intergovernmental Affairs]

Mr. Speaker, I listened carefully to the debate, because I was hoping to be able to speak to Bill C-19, which was introduced in December and helps prepare for the potential election in the context of a pandemic. It is legislation that the Chief Electoral Officer had asked the House to consider. I listened intently to members who spoke and to the parliamentary secretary, and he began not only talking about the importance of the tourism sector, something that we all share with our colleagues from the Conservative party, but also offered some insight as to why the Conservative party may seek this procedural dilatory tactic to prevent the House from considering important legislation that would protect Canadians in a pandemic.

I am wondering if the parliamentary secretary might expand and share with us his views on why the opposition would seek to, as the member for Saanich—Gulf Islands has so properly said, delay the proper business of the House in considering legislation that would protect Canadians in the context of a pandemic.

[Kevin Lamoureux, Liberal, Winnipeg North, MB]

Mr. Speaker, those who follow the House will know that this morning we were supposed to be debating Bill C-14. We were hopeful, after many days of debate, that it would be allowed to come to a vote. The Conservatives, of course, are dragging their feet on that.

We had another very important piece of legislation, and I know it is important for all Canadians. In fact, the minister who just posed the question and has done a great deal of work on it is saying that we should discuss this legislation and get it to committee. He wants to be able to work with all members of all sides of the House, in recognizing how important it is that this legislation be dealt with. However, much like with Bill C-14, the Conservatives would appear to want to continue to play these destructive games, which are not healthy for Canadians. I—

[The Deputy Speaker, Bruce Stanton]

Order. We are just going to try to get one more question in here at the tail end of this 10-minute period.

The hon. member for Sarnia—Lambton.

[Marilyn Gladu, Conservative, Sarnia—Lambton, ON]

Mr. Speaker, I want to talk about the topic the previous speakers spoke about. We were supposed to be debating Bill C-19. With regard to an election in a pandemic, I was going to bring about 30 minutes of thoughtful comment. The only people who are a hurry to have an election are the Liberals. The majority of Canadians have said they do not want an election during a pandemic. The Liberals were in such a hurry that they introduced this legislation even before the committee that was considering the Chief Electoral Officer's report was finished. Colleagues can comfort themselves with that.

The reason they have to have debates like this is that the government is not listening to the travel and tourism industry. I have sat in the House and heard calls for help for the airline industry and calls to get plans in place so that the economy can reopen and restaurants can come back.

What specifically is the government going to do to enable this industry to quickly get back on its feet?

[Kevin Lamoureux, Liberal, Winnipeg North, MB]

Mr. Speaker, I cited a very clear example when I said that the Prime Minister met with the folk arts council. That is just one of apparently thousands of meetings that would have been taking place, no doubt, set up through the Prime Minister's Office. To try to give a false impression as if the government is not working and concerned about the tourism industry is just wrong.

In regard to Bill C-19, it is an important piece of legislation. The Government of Canada has never been focused on an election. Our focus is on Canadians first and foremost and has been since day one. That will continue to be the case. Elections Canada is recognized around the world as an independent organization and we have full confidence in it, but Bill C-19 will go a long way—

[The Deputy Speaker, Bruce Stanton]

That will bring this segment to a close.

Resuming debate.

The hon. member for Abitibi—Témiscamingue.

[Sébastien Lemire, Bloc, Abitibi—Témiscamingue, QC]

Mr. Speaker, I want to begin by saying that I will be sharing my time with the hon. member for Rimouski-Neigette—Témiscouata—Les Basques, who is a great advocate of our SMEs in the tourism industry.

I could simply talk about the hard times that the tourism industry in Quebec is unfortunately facing right now. There is so much to say about what they have endured.

The federal government delayed in providing support for the industry, despite repeated requests from stakeholders in the tourism industry and the opposition parties. Employees, owners, organizers and artists, as well as all of the people who work in hospitality, food service, and arts and culture, have been particularly hard hit by the economic impact of COVID-19.

Take, for example, all of the events, both large and small, and all of the business and co-operative relationships that were adversely affected by cancellations and closures. Getting the tourism industry back on track in the next few years is going to be a major challenge.

If we are to meet that challenge, the federal government needs to stop creating one-size-fits-all programs, because they are not very successful. We need to acknowledge what is happening. The federal government needs to change its approach. Programs need to be well designed and tailored to the needs of the tourism industry in Montreal and in many small towns in the regions. The programs need to meet the needs of the industry. To make sure these programs are as effective as possible, why does the government not let industry stakeholders decide on the principles and mechanisms for these programs?

This is important in Quebec. The tourism industry—

[The Deputy Speaker, Bruce Stanton]

I apologize to the hon. member for interrupting, but there seems to be a problem.

Could the hon. member repeat his question or resume his intervention?

[Sébastien Lemire, Bloc, Abitibi—Témiscamingue, QC]

Mr. Speaker, I am not sure what you mean.

Is there a problem with my microphone?

[Taylor Bachrach, NDP, Skeena—Bulkley Valley, BC]

There is a problem with the interpretation. The French and English are coming through at the same volume. I am not sure if other people are hearing that, but it has been doing that for a little while.

[The Deputy Speaker, Bruce Stanton]

I thank the hon. member for Skeena—Bulkley Valley.

I would like to know if the problem is fixed.

Is that fixed now?

I will ask the hon. member for Abitibi—Témiscamingue to resume his intervention, so we can see if the interpretation is working properly.

The hon. member for Abitibi—Témiscamingue.

[Sébastien Lemire, Bloc, Abitibi—Témiscamingue, QC]

Mr. Speaker, interpretation is certainly a very important issue, as is tourism in Quebec.

The tourism industry is crucial to Quebec's regional economies. It employs over 400,000 workers and contributes $15 billion to the Quebec economy. More than two-thirds of these businesses are located outside the greater Quebec City and Montreal areas, and most of them are very small businesses that are agile and innovative, but still fragile. This industry has been one of the hardest hit by the public health crisis, and it is still waiting for the government to show more empathy and a greater desire to collaborate, because times will be tough for several years to come.

To overcome this enormous challenge, the tourism industry will need the hard work and talent of everyone involved. That is why I prefer to talk about “tourism with a promising future”. It is also why I would like to talk to Marsha Walden, President and CEO of Destination Canada, the Canadian tourism commission, about solutions that people in the industry have shared with me in recent months. We need to make the most of this evening's debate by talking about solutions and how we can restructure the tourism ecosystem.

Before we increase the budget envelopes for the promotion of tourism, we should invest heavily in the restructuring of the tourism ecosystem. I will explain.

In the current public health context, travellers are looking for alternative tourism destinations because people do not want to go to major cities where there is a higher risk of COVID-19. That is understandable. Major cities are not popular because people want to enjoy themselves in the great outdoors. Therefore, the tourism industry must adapt its offerings and make smart investments even in smaller tourism areas.

For example, in 2020, my region of Abitibi-Témiscamingue experienced a tourism boost despite the public health context, and it was a good year for tourism given the circumstances. Quebeckers travelled more than seven hours from Montreal to visit the Abitibi-Témiscamingue region. In September, festival-goers stayed in Abitibi-Témiscamingue for the Emerging Music Festival, which I attended with my colleague from Berthier—Maskinongé, among others. The Abitibi-Témiscamingue International Film Festival was held in October.

In the midst of a health crisis, the people of Abitibi-Témiscamingue were able to put on two major events without any problems or any impact on the spread of the virus.

What is more, this winter, snowmobilers have been coming from all over to ride the extensive network of trails criss-crossing the immense territory of Abitibi-Témiscamingue. There are 3,600 kilometres of snowmobile trails, for those who are interested. My region is so large and attractive and has so many wide open spaces that it would take a visitor weeks to explore all of our snowmobile, cross-country skiing and snowshoeing trails and our vast expanses of frozen lakes in winter, just like it would take weeks for them to roam all the walking trails, the two national parks and the rivers in summer.

The tourism offerings need to be different. This year, potentially, and in the coming years, tourism in Abitibi-Témiscamingue will slowly pick up again, and people will come from all over to discover the region's tourism offerings. They will visit museums, wildlife refuges, wilderness areas, villages and outfitters. They will go to rodeos and truck rodeos and attend large outdoor concerts. The people of Abitibi-Témiscamingue are known for their enthusiasm, whether it is -30°C in January and February or 30°C in July and August.

In addition, Quebec is a true natural wonder, known for the beauty of its land and the St. Lawrence River. Quebeckers and travellers from all over the world come to walk the streets of Old Quebec and experience the vibrancy of downtown Montreal. Visitors travel along the St. Lawrence River to go whale watching and visit the picturesque little villages along its shores, often known for their local products and microbreweries. Visitors travel through the vast wilderness of the boreal forest, stay at outfitters, take part in ice fishing tournaments or sled dog races, and the list goes on.

Quebec is a popular adventure tourism destination, so I hope we can enhance our tourism offerings. Why not invest heavily in regional structures that will put money in the right areas, specifically to meet local needs, based on each local reality?

I appeal to the president and chief executive officer of the Canadian Tourism Commission in that regard. Tourism development officers help entrepreneurs, municipalities and organizations adapt and enhance their tourism offerings, which must be thoughtfully prepared. It is important to rebuild locally, since tourists will flock back to us in a few years. Preparations are in the works, and I hope Ms. Walden will provide the necessary financial resources, without conditions, to maximize the potential of the tourism industry in the regions.

When tourism in Quebec and the rest of Canada gets back to full strength in the coming years, I hope the federal government will have given the industry a jump-start and the means to rebuild. It is certainly no small task. Rebuilding is a tremendous challenge. For example, there needs to be support for agri-tourism, investment in structures for tourism to extend to the farms, directly at the farm, in facilities, among the animals, to host activities on site and taste products from the farm.

Why not try something new at public markets so that people can discover quality local products, much like the gourmet fair, the Foire gourmande de l'Abitibi-Témiscamingue et du Nord-Est ontarien, has done? Why not try something new to bring tourism to the mountains, forests and waterways, to ensure environmentally responsible protection of the natural environment? Why not try something new to have tourism help protect the heritage buildings of our tourist sites, such as the churches and our beautiful old Quebec and Canadian homes?

We must build a solid tourism ecosystem that will help people develop their talents, protect our heritage and make use of natural environments. We need to reimagine the tourism industry. Until this industry gets back on its feet, we need to be creative and think outside the box. The focus should be on the well-being of travellers and on providing effective support for these travellers and for the businesses and organizations in these tourism ecosystems.

We cannot leave travellers to fend for themselves. We should be giving them a memorable human experience. Let us make tourism a more humanistic way of life, for both travellers and workers. Let us make it more innovative, more environmentally friendly, and more attuned to the land, heritage and people who live there. If we are going to achieve this, we must reimagine tourism and transition from competition to collaboration. We need to review the necessary investments, not just in terms of budget amounts, but also in terms of how things are done. People should be able to work with others and not against others, to develop innovative, creative projects.

I would like to suggest some approaches. First, bigger budgets so that people on the ground, many of them passionate individuals who actually live in the areas that need a boost, can invest in specialized resources. The government should also help people who have built businesses pass the baton to other passionate individuals. We need to help the tourism industry adapt to this reality by creating new programs that give stakeholders something to build on, and that means investing in those programs. Young people who want to call these places home, embrace healthy lifestyles and provide an exceptional quality of life can leverage a region's assets to spur economic development.

Let us make sure that people working in the tourism industry are proud to help capitalize on what their region and its natural beauty have to offer. We need attractive ad and promotional video campaigns, but we also have to promote the people working in the industry. Investing in human talent is key to the success of our tourism businesses.

In closing, the tourism industry will remain in limbo for many more difficult months. It is going to experience a labour shortage. We have to be aware of that. The whole structure is broken, and the parts need to be rebuilt. If nothing changes, many competent workers will leave the tourism industry for other sectors.

[Gerald Soroka, Conservative, Yellowhead, AB]

Mr. Speaker, Jasper and Jasper National Park are probably the most famous or most known for tourism in my riding. I am happy the member said tourism is suffering, because a previous speaker mentioned how many great things the sector is doing and I was thinking we were not in the same world. What I am hearing from my tourist operators and many small businesses is how badly they are suffering.

The member said that some of the programs are not working. Could he comment on where the Liberals have failed and where he thinks they could improve upon their programs?

[Sébastien Lemire, Bloc, Abitibi—Témiscamingue, QC]

Mr. Speaker, I heard the member for Saanich—Gulf Islands say that Ms. Bell has passed away, so I want to begin by offering my condolences to her family and loved ones. I believe she was the one who used the canary analogy at one of our meetings. The people in the tourism industry were the first to be affected by the COVID-19 pandemic and might be the last to recover.

How can we reverse that situation? We must first recognize the unique challenges facing that sector and, above all, we must leverage its human resources, the passionate individuals who will sell us tourism experiences. I was fortunate enough to visit the Jasper area once in my life and thought it was absolutely fantastic. I will definitely go back one day to discover all the beauty there is to see across our vast land.

[Martin Champoux, Bloc, Drummond, QC]

Mr. Speaker, I would like to commend my colleague from Abitibi—Témiscamingue for his excellent speech and for the passion he brings to his work.

Speaking of tourism, I am, of course, thinking of the many festivals and events that take place in my riding of Drummond. I am thinking in particular of my friends at the Village québécois d'antan with whom I had the pleasure of working for several years.

In the tourism and events industry, one thing is fundamental and that is predictability. In November, when the government tabled its fall economic statement, it spoke about a program to help the sectors that have been hit the hardest by the pandemic, which obviously includes tourism. However, it took nearly three months for that program to be implemented, which is not consistent with that principle of predictability that the people working in the tourism industry need.

According to my colleague, how can the government make up for lost time in order to help tourism organizations, like the Village québécois d'antan in Drummond, to have a better season than they currently expect to have since they have not received adequate support?

[Sébastien Lemire, Bloc, Abitibi—Témiscamingue, QC]

Mr. Speaker, I want to thank my colleague from Drummond for his question.

This summer, I got to go camping in his riding, as I was unable to stay at a local hotel. In any event, I gave a speech about Bill C-14, and I mentioned the challenges faced by the tourism industry, which the member for Winnipeg North will be happy to hear.

In our speeches on this bill, we spoke about the importance of this assistance, and I remember that my colleague from Drummond used the key word predictability. At many meetings, people told us that they needed to know what kind of support the government would provide to these businesses. They need assistance with fixed costs, some of which are not being considered by the federal government in its assistance measures. If the assistance is to be predictable, we must look at all fixed costs.

We must reinvest in the human resources who will be able to establish links between activities and tourism routes. My colleague mentioned the Village Québécois d'Antan, but we must also develop the villages themselves so they can offer a warm welcome to tourists visiting a region. The entire tourism industry must provide a sensational experience so tourists will want to visit again and tell their family members and friends about their experience, so they will come discover these regions as well.

[Marilyn Gladu, Conservative, Sarnia—Lambton, ON]

Mr. Speaker, I thank the hon. member for his speech.

Which businesses in his riding are most affected by the pandemic? What does the government need to do to improve the situation?

[Sébastien Lemire, Bloc, Abitibi—Témiscamingue, QC]

Mr. Speaker, I would be pleased to invite the hon. member for Sarnia—Lambton to my riding, which has 60 or so towns and villages. If we add the villages that merged with Rouyn-Noranda, that makes 84 communities that have their own elected members and representatives. Each of these territories has at least one regional event, festival or tourist attraction that sets it apart and draws in visitors.

For example, I am thinking about the Labyrinthe des insectes. Its owner has managed to keep his business afloat for eight years, but he is now at the point where he needs some cash flow to get to the next stage. However, he is having a hard time finding help through the current programs. He launched a crowdfunding campaign that is going well, but he has such big plans for the bugs that he should be entitled to seek support from the government, which has yet to respond.

[Maxime Blanchette-Joncas, Bloc, Rimouski-Neigette—Témiscouata—Les Basques, QC]

Mr. Speaker, I am very pleased, albeit with a strong sense of irony, to be taking part in this completely pointless debate that the governing Liberal Party of Canada has foisted upon the House.

It is unfathomable to me that the Liberal minority in this Parliament can force such a pointless debate that is of no interest to the people we represent, especially during this health crisis during which we are meant to be productive.

I have collegial relationships with a number of my Liberal colleagues, and they know that our verbal sparring and political interventions here in the House, in committee or in our respective ridings come from a place of trust and good faith.

With that said, I cannot emphasize enough how very disappointed I am to see that the government is moving so slowly on its piddly response plan that should have reassured Quebeckers and Canadians. After all, the Prime Minister runs a G7 country, which ranks last in terms of vaccination, but is still a G7 country.

We take comfort in what we can, and everyone will readily agree. It was 44 years ago that the current Prime Minister's father made history by addressing the United States Congress for the very first time. Tomorrow, his son will meet with the new U.S. President. It goes without saying that keen observers will note the obvious and not-so-obvious differences from what will be said from the Canadian perspective. One had a vision; the other, a simple reaction. I could never be satisfied with either one. Here and around the world, since the start of his mediocre tenure as the head of government, the Prime Minister's personal work during the pandemic has been deemed to be fruitless, without constructive results, and, above all, to this point, not worthy of mention.

The motion currently before the House, a dilatory tactic on the part of government members, speaks for itself. It demonstrates the government's philosophical disconnect in attempting to avoid basic issues that should be of serious concern in order to buy time for the Prime Minister. The Liberal Party's dilatory motion seeks to buy time. We believe that buying time is a petty thing to do, and it would be a good idea for members to remember that. That is what the government is doing and it is quite frankly unacceptable, insulting and unbelievable. In my opinion, it is completely ridiculous and juvenile for the government to take the House's precious time today to discuss a committee report on the new president and chief executive officer of the Canadian Tourism Commission. It is not hard to imagine the preposterous backroom wrangling that senior members of the Liberal Party have been doing over the past few days to slow down the work of the House. I am sure that other members are just as disappointed as I am. The entire strategy of a G7 government is likely based on a note hastily scrawled on the corner of a napkin, a government that is struggling to limit the shame felt by its own caucus regarding its vain attempts to dig out of a hole the economic forces it claims are its proudest ally.

To be honest, if I had an ally or a partner of the sort the Liberal government claims to be, I would quietly tell the Chair, given that nobody is listening anyway, that I would have gotten rid of such an ally with no compunction whatsoever. It seems true friends are not those one might instinctively think of. The tourism industry from coast to coast to coast deserves much more than the promises this government is dangling before it.

Given some of the cockamamie ideas we have been discussing, it is worth informing our colleagues from all government parties that the government is using them for blatantly partisan purposes, emphasis on “partisan”.

The only thing in this entire futile debate that has made any impression on me at all is this stalling tactic that is orally and literally wasting the House's precious time, time that is all the more precious and crucial for the entire population, time that we should be spending debating much more important issues during this pandemic.

I would like to think that everyone shares my sympathy and concern for the awful times the businesses in the tourism industry are going through right now.

Many people know how much energy I have put into having as many meetings as possible with all the players in all sectors of this vast business community, regardless of their size within the industry, to ensure its survival. To see the Liberal Party of Canada stoop so low today and abandon them in such a vile and mean-spirited parliamentary procedure suggests that the Prime Minister's pretty words yesterday were nothing more than a prelude to an even worse rejection to come. For months now, day in and day out, the Liberal government has been promising better days for the entire tourism industry. Day in and day out, it keeps repeating that promise, although it never really delivers on it.

The Liberal Party, headed up by the Prime Minister and the Minister for Economic Development for the Regions of Quebec, kept on misleading the small business owners who make our regions the most charming places to visit, before heading out into the broader world. However, the Liberals return to the House with a dilatory measure like the one before us, which is deeply offensive.

The appointment of Marsha Walden at the head of the Canadian Tourism Commission was duly approved by the Standing Committee on Industry, Science and Technology. This powerful House of Commons committee had already exercised the necessary due diligence on reviewing Ms. Walden's candidacy and had approved her appointment. The motion for reference to the House of Commons tabled by the Liberals is as outrageous as it is despicable.

As proof, I submit all the despicable treatment meted out to the tourism industry from the outset of the pandemic. From the time the federal government declared a pandemic to the deployment of all the health measures in Quebec and elsewhere in Canada, the tourism industry was the first to be affected. Not only did all of its operations cease overnight, but this industry employs tens of thousands of people in Quebec and hundreds of thousands more across Canada, so it will be the last to recover. All members will agree with me that the House had better things to do today than to discuss the shenanigans of the people opposite, which just prove how amateurish this government is.

[Bernard Généreux, Conservative, Montmagny—L'Islet—Kamouraska—Rivière-du-Loup, QC]

Mr. Speaker, I thank the member who represents the riding next to mine for the speech he gave, despite his immense frustration with what is currently happening in the House of Commons.

Like him, I have had conversations with people from the tourism industry over the past year. These past few weeks in particular, many of them have spoken about the need for some predictability.

One of the sector's major concerns will be the labour shortage. The tourism industry was already experiencing a labour shortage before 2020, and it has been aggravated by the fact that many people changed careers when the sector collapsed. Could my colleague tell me what came out of the conversations he had with representatives of the tourism sector in his riding?

[Maxime Blanchette-Joncas, Bloc, Rimouski-Neigette—Témiscouata—Les Basques, QC]

Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague from Montmagny—L'Islet—Kamouraska—Rivière-du-Loup for his comments and his question.

As my party's tourism critic, I have certainly spoken to provincial and regional stakeholders in Quebec. The labour shortage is a real problem. It was a problem before the pandemic, it is a problem now, and it could remain a problem if we do not find a solution.

I completely agree with my colleague's comment about predictability. The best example showing that the government is improvising is the program for highly affected sectors. This problem was first announced on November 30 in an economic update, but the government had certainly planned for it before November 30, since it had to prepare the economic update. The program was not implemented until February 1 of this year. That is two months, on top of a month or more of preparation. There will be no predictability so long as the government keeps jotting down program ideas and waiting three months to implement them. The tourism industry needs some long-term predictability and support, and that will take a lot more support measures.

[Sylvie Bérubé, Bloc, Abitibi—Baie-James—Nunavik—Eeyou, QC]

Mr. Speaker, everything that is currently happening to the tourism industry also affects my riding. Here are a few examples. In Val-d'Or, there is the Spectacle-bénéfice Hardy Ringuette, a benefit that raises money for La Ressource pour personnes handicapées de l'Abitibi-Témiscamingue et du Nord-du-Québec. There is also the Festival d'humour de l'Abitibi-Témiscamingue, the Festival des contes et légendes Abitibi-Témiscamingue and the Festival de musique Trad Val-d'Or. In Chibougamau, there is Festival Folifrets, a snowmobiling festival.

Abitibi—Baie-James—Nunavik—Eeyou is a huge region, so it is important to talk about it. The tourism industry is dealing with a lot of cancellations and a loss of visibility and volunteers.

What about the money that comes from outside our borders, from other countries?

[Maxime Blanchette-Joncas, Bloc, Rimouski-Neigette—Témiscouata—Les Basques, QC]

Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague for her question.

Support for organizations and the entire events industry, which is related to the tourism industry, is vital for all regions of Quebec. That industry promotes the cultural beauty of our entire Quebec nation. However, it needs support.

Last spring, the money that is usually used for international promotion and marketing through Destination Canada was transferred to tourism, through local stakeholders, namely, the Alliance de l'industrie touristique du Québec. Naturally, we hope to have that support in the long term, which would provide the necessary predictability to ensure that events will also take place next summer. That is what we are hoping.

[Ziad Aboultaif, Conservative, Edmonton Manning, AB]

Mr. Speaker, the government has been preoccupied with trying to find someone to blame for everything, specifically the opposition parties. We now have in front of us a very important discussion about a very important industry. I am concerned with the hospitality industry in general, and of course tourism on top of that.

Would the hon. member agree the government should be looking for solutions rather than blaming others?

[Maxime Blanchette-Joncas, Bloc, Rimouski-Neigette—Témiscouata—Les Basques, QC]

Mr. Speaker, as I said earlier, the tourism industry is vital to Quebec's regions, and it needs support and programs.

We know that the wage subsidy is vital to many organizations, many industries and various segments of the tourism industry. This industry has economic, cultural and social impacts on many regions of Quebec.

We have to do what needs to be done, of course. We hope the government will create programs that are far more structured and will provide more support to the tourism industry, because there are still lots of businesses that slip through the cracks in the federal government's existing system.

We hope the next budget will include the necessary funding to adequately support the tourism industry.