Finance committee  As we have been able to see over the past year, there being no festivals and events has led to a lack felt in all of Canada's communities. I am thinking of the owners of restaurants along Grande Allée, in Quebec City, who have said how much the lack of festivals and events has hurt them.

Finance committee  Yes, I can start. I hope that these estimates were the result of unbridled optimism. Perhaps it was thought that the second wave wouldn't be as large as it was, that we would quickly regain our momentum in April, May or June and that the programs would no longer be needed. I hope that the federal government is fully aware that these programs are still needed as long as the situation remains serious.

Finance committee  The emergency wage subsidy is vital right now. At this point, without the subsidy, the teams would be decimated and the expertise needed to organize festivals and events would have vanished. For now, the emergency wage subsidy is vital and necessary for the recovery. When I talk about 2022, despite what I told you earlier and our complete willingness to operate this summer to the best of our ability and in accordance with the public health rules, we know that won't be able to generate the independent revenue that we're used to generating.

Finance committee  I just want to say that there's a difference. In Quebec, in particular, the program wasn't very popular because other loan programs had already been promoted, particularly in the cultural sector, by SODEC and by different organizations. In Quebec, the program was a little less useful and a little less in demand.

Finance committee  I'm not sure I understood the question. A roadmap is certainly essential. What I said to some of you when we met individually was that beyond a vaccination schedule, you need to have an additional step. When we talk about a situation where 20%, 40%, or 60% of the population have been vaccinated, we need to know what that will mean in reality, especially for the tourism and cultural areas.

Finance committee  Thank you, Mr. Chair. Festivals and Major Events Canada, or FAME, and the Regroupement des événements majeurs internationaux, REMI, represent more than 500 festivals and events in Canada, through direct and affiliated memberships, in a sector of the tourism and cultural industry that alone generates more than $1 billion of the country's GDP each year.

Finance committee  I'm not sure whether I understand the meaning of the question. You're talking about locations. The meaning may have been lost in translation.

Finance committee  It's a disaster. I think that one of FAME's recommendations is to address the deficits of cultural organizations. It's good to have loans. We welcome them and we appreciate them. However, we also need the government to step in and support cultural organizations. The government must erase their deficits.

Finance committee  Mr. Ste-Marie, you're absolutely right. There must be a balance between the health crisis issue and the government's response. We're currently hearing that assistance programs will be extended until June. However, if there are no festivals this summer, at the very least, the hardest hit businesses will require assistance.

Finance committee  I've been to Joliette quite often, in your constituency, Mr. Ste-Marie. The Festival de Lanaudière is incredible. It's the largest classical music festival in Canada. The event organizers received some good news yesterday. The reduction in their grant was cancelled. They were technically supposed to lose $30,000 this year.

Finance committee  As I said, we are encouraged by a few measures, but the discouragement felt by FAME and RÉMI members is fairly widespread and profound. A few months ago, people were telling me that they had lost a year and it was hard but that 2021 would be even harder. A normal festival and event season won't be possible in 2021.

Finance committee  If we're going to save the summer 2021 festival and event season, a big chunk of the population would have to be vaccinated by the summer. You mentioned the Calgary Stampede, which takes place in July. That's just it. Being a northern country, we tend to hold our festivals and events between June and August.

Finance committee  No. We still do not have access to rapid testing, and it's a long way off. We are, however, keeping a close eye on how things are going at the Calgary airport. We are eager to see how it all turns out. If rapid testing were to become widely available, it could be used not just at festivals and events, but also in restaurants and other recreational spaces.

Finance committee  We have had some discussions with associations in Europe. In particular, we are working with an association in Europe by the name of De Concert! The festival organizers who make up the federation have resolved to hold their events in 2021. In the past few days, they put together something of a manifesto in which the federation proclaims its belief in 2021 festivals and events; the manifesto is signed by the organizers of 120 festivals and events.

Finance committee  Not necessarily. The public health guidelines vary from country to country and from province to province. This many months into the pandemic, we now know that the risk is relatively low outdoors and even lower when people wear masks. Would it be possible for people to attend an outdoor festival while wearing masks?