James Cumming

[Committees of the House, February 22nd, 2021]

Mr. Speaker, what businesses need is some level of certainty or planning so they can understand what the potential looks like. Unfortunately, this particular industry has seen very little. We have talked about the airline industry, and the government coming up with some sort of a plan. People in the industry are still waiting. This uncertainty slows down the opportunity for them to get back to work or at least to plan for the future so they know what they are up against.

[Committees of the House, February 22nd, 2021]

Mr. Speaker, what we have to focus on, and what I come back to in this health crisis, is that we cannot have a recovery until we get through this crisis. That is a combination of making sure that we have vaccines here, we have execution of those vaccines and we have rapid testing. Having all those tools available will let us create a safe environment for people operating in this industry and people at large. Clearly, what people want is to get back to work. It is the job of government to make sure that we can do so safely.

[Committees of the House, February 22nd, 2021]

Mr. Speaker, there cannot be an economic recovery until there is a health recovery. Every area of the country has to be able to deal with this health crisis. Yes, I support the restrictions, but future restrictions and future policies should be based on strong data.

[Committees of the House, February 22nd, 2021]

moved:

That the fourth report of the Standing Committee on Industry, Science and Technology, presented on Friday, November 27, 2020, be concurred in.

Mr. Speaker, I will be sharing my time with the member for Niagara Falls.

I am happy to speak today to the order in council appointment of Marsha Walden to the position of president of the Canadian Tourism Commission, referred to the Standing Committee on Industry, Science and Technology on Friday, September 25, which I was a proud to be part of for a short time before moving on to my portfolio now as shadow minister for the COVID-19 economic recovery.

Disease-induced crises are nothing new to the Canadian tourism industry, but certainly the crisis created by the novel coronavirus has been the most damaging crisis it has ever faced. This industry will never look the same post-pandemic. Even after we have all been vaccinated and the virus is just a foggy memory or a blurb in a textbook, it is clear and paramount that all levels of government have a role to play in the industry's eventual successful recovery.

The tourism industry knows what needs to happen for it to move ahead toward a successful recovery. Across the board, stringent measures have already been implemented in an effort to assure that all tourism-related activities are safe and communicated to the public. The industry is equally aware that confidence in travelling and the risk perception surrounding it are going to determine the speed of recovery.

This industry has done yeoman's effort to keep running. With methods for cleaning and sanitizing and with PPE requirements in restaurants, airplanes, museums, arenas, etc., it has really stepped up to try to have at least some level of business. Retrofitting or refurbishing facilities with advanced filtration, plexiglass partitions and the removal of soft furnishings, along with cleaning, cleaning and more cleaning, has been done. There are reduced capacity and occupation rates; 24 hours between occupancies in hotels; spacing at restaurants; booking times to visit a museum; and the advent of technology to help with innovation. We are using technology-based apps to streamline tourism activities, including self-serve check-ins and QR code menus, which we have all become accustomed to.

The government should only be there to meet efforts taken by these industries and ensure that compliance is met. The government must not impose unreasonable measures that thwart business owners' ability to operate or create an environment of disincentives that causes them to shut down. To make these onerous and expensive changes, our tourism industry needs credible and realistic measures from our federal government to allow companies and tourism services to confidently operate.

The government needs to move away from simply subsidizing and handing out aid and toward providing incentives for sustainable growth and innovation. Ideas include offering interest-free loans, guaranteed loans and creative financing options for sectors that have been hit incredibly hard. Incentives like this would benefit all sectors: airlines, cruise lines, hotels and restaurants. Other ideas include the lifting of visa requirements for countries as they recover, to increase international tourism; allowing provincial governments to regulate themselves without heavy-handed mandates from Ottawa; and protecting distressed assets from being scooped by predatory investors looking to take advantage of a weakened tourism sector.

While the government neglected to come up with a plan to innovate in this tourism space, we saw some amazing efforts and collaboration from our once-strong Canadian airlines and our world-class institutions, as they provided solutions with the now-defunct rapid-testing pilot program. This was a great example of an industry stepping up and of a private sector success, but it was shut down by the federal government with its new requirements. The airlines realized how critical it was to create a safe travel environment and they developed a pilot project for rapid testing at airports. I admire their efforts because they knew they needed something to be able to get going again.

Testimony given at the health committee last week did little to indicate that these new restrictions are going to be an improvement and that they are based upon strong data. However, there was some data from the rapid testing. On February 11, just over 49,000 people were tested and 1% tested positive. They were monitored and made to quarantine, and this worked successfully.

On an anecdotal note, in my riding, for over 30 years, a company called Paull Travel has provided tailored independent travel services. Like many other companies and individuals involved in the tourism sector, they are finding themselves faced with the impossible. These companies are failing, and while the rest of the economy may be able to experience some sort of a bounceback, it is really difficult in the travel industry. On top of this, the commissions the 13 women working at Paull Travel were expected to earn for services they did were clawed back because of cancellations.

The government's inability to provide rapid testing for Canadians and the much-needed support for airlines thwarted much of the travel during the pandemic. Many large travel agencies and independent providers are facing decreases of up to 90% today compared with 2019.

We cannot pretend that things are going to go back to normal. For decades to come, gone with be the days of banquets and large conventions. Travel agents and many other hospitality workers may not be required, and we will have to find suitable jobs for these individuals. The government has to be proactive and forward thinking when thinking about re-skilling and upskilling workers to move into other high-demand sectors, such as the emerging tech economy.

We need to start talking about what retraining is going to look like for those whose skills no longer match job demand, working with both the public sector and the private sector to identify gaps in the economy and the places where this talent is going to be needed. I have some important facts. Of the over 14,000 large and small travel agency businesses in Canada, over 90% are considered small business and 75% of travel agents are women. Travel agencies across Canada generate over $30 billion in sales and $3 billion in revenue on an annualized basis and many in this industry have not been able to qualify for standard or special EI benefits. This sector is desperate and it needs to be acknowledged.

At the beginning of the pandemic in Canada, the travel industry alone dealt with numerous travel advisories and with their clients, cancellations and all of the things that happened because of that. Due to the virus and its devastating impact on travel, the travel industry has experienced close to zero new revenue, and layoffs and closures have started to happen. This has an enormous effect on families. Any targeted relief for the travel industry must include these travel agencies. They need the government's help and they need to be sure that they are paid for services rendered.

If we can get in front of the health issues and demonstrate a safe environment for travel, we can give this sector a fighting chance. There will need to be significant investment in marketing to aid the recovery in both domestic and international travel. We must ensure that the public understands the health risk and the data that indicates what the risk is so they can make appropriate choices.

For every industry, a plan is more than financial support. It must be a road map that gives some indication of reopening and strategies. We cannot look toward the future without a plan. Canada has so much to offer the world: natural beauty, rich history and unique culture found nowhere else on the planet. It would be a shame if we let this sector suffer because of a lack of leadership. I look forward to when the government will come forward with plans that will help this industry get back on its feet.

[Economic Statement Implementation Act, 2020, February 19th, 2021]

Madam Speaker, my colleague talked about the future and talked about economic growth for this country. I would like you to elaborate a bit on the lack of understanding it appears the government has around competitiveness, continuing to burden individuals and businesses with additional taxes and impeding their ability to compete. If Canada is going to grow out of this economy, we have to be competitive.

Do you have any thoughts on that?

[Income Tax Act, February 18th, 2021]

Mr. Speaker, my colleague caught my interest with the discussion around this being not just a rural issue, but that there are pockets, particularly in large urban centres, that have significant crime issues. I think of Edmonton Centre. They call it the red zone of crime.

Does the member think that there would be an opportunity to expand the reach of this bill into those areas where there are significant pockets of crime, and give either businesses or individual residents some security, or at least let them feel that they have some level of support from the government in trying to combat crime and that they have some safety?

[Public Safety, February 16th, 2021]

Mr. Speaker, the Canadian representative of Huawei said in the interview that Huawei executive Meng Wanzhou “has done nothing wrong”, suggesting that her detention in a $13-million Vancouver mansion is the exact same as the containment of the two Michaels in China. All the while, the government has partnered with Huawei, to the tune of almost $5 million in funding for its university research here in Canada.

How can the government claim to take human rights seriously while Huawei equipment is being used by the Chinese government in Uighur detention camps?

[Public Safety, February 16th, 2021]

Mr. Speaker, during a disastrous interview this weekend, a representative of Huawei Canada, Morgan Elliott, could not, on behalf of the company, either condemn the treatment by the Chinese government of its detaining of Canadians Michael Kovrig and Michael Spavor, nor could he explain why Huawei patent technology was being used in Uighur detention camps.

The writing is all over the walls. It is time to ban Huawei. Why is the government continuing to drag its feet?

[Public Safety, February 5th, 2021]

Madam Speaker, that is just not good enough.

Canada is the only allied Five Eyes country without a formal policy to ban or restrict Huawei from operating within it, and now it looks like our neighbours down south are ready to make a strong decision on this matter.

Why is the government choosing to stand with a company connected to the Chinese government, rather than our long-held strong international allies?

[Public Safety, February 5th, 2021]

Madam Speaker, not even a month in, President Joe Biden has stated that his administration considers the Chinese telecom giant Huawei to be a national security threat. Now, six years into his role, the Prime Minister has yet to make a decision on Huawei.

Will the Prime Minister stand with our international allies and say no to Huawei?