Tourism HR Canada is encouraged by the support measures outlined in the Speech from the Throne delivered yesterday by Governor General Julie Payette on behalf of the government. The hard-hit tourism, hospitality, and cultural industries were singled out for initiatives to assist their recovery efforts as restrictions to keep Canadians safe remain in place.
Commitments to investing in tools for hiring, retention, and training will help employers and employees navigate the decrease in demand, particularly as many regions’ peak tourist season comes to a close:
- Extension of the Canada Emergency Wage Subsidy (CEWS) to the summer of 2021
- Expansion of the Canada Emergency Business Account (CEBA)
- Improvements to the Business Credit Availability Program (BCAP)
- Largest investment in Canadian history in training for workers
Tourism HR Canada acknowledges the incredible work of the Coalition of Hardest Hit Businesses, who shone a light on the severe impact of COVID-19 on tourism, hospitality, and cultural businesses.
As noted in today’s release of COVID-19 Impact on Tourism Sector Employment and Revenues, we expect tourism employment for 2020 will have dropped by over 500,000 jobs from last year. Tourism employment is not expected to return to 2019 levels until 2023; the accommodation industry is projected to take a further year to recover. International tourism is not expected to fully recover until 2024 or 2025.
Read the full Speech from the Throne here.
Reactions from our national tourism partners:
Tourism Industry Association of Canada (TIAC): Speech from Throne Delivers Major Wins for Tourism Sector
Hotel Association of Canada (HAC): Government Gets It Right: Canada’s Hotel Sector Applauds Speech From The Throne
Restaurants Canada: Federal government commits to act on Restaurants Canada recommendation to extend wage subsidy