Can Canada compete?

Newfoundland’s culinary scene may be enjoying a boost in popularity thanks to the “Bourdain effect,” which hit in the wake of the late celebrity chef ’s visit last fall. But what would it take to firmly establish Canada as a top foodie destination, one that gives the likes of Italy, Japan and France a run for their money?

As much as we love it when high-profile, influential people validate our food scene (They like us, they really like us!), “Canada is not currently on the radar as a culinary tourism brand or destination, nor does food and drink rank high on the list as a reason to choose Canada as a destination,” admits an internal report by Vancouver-based Twenty31 Consulting Inc.

The report is part of the Liberal government’s five-year “tourism vision,” which was announced last spring. The plan commits to boosting the number of international tourists by 30 per cent and doubling the number of Chinese visitors by 2021, as well as “positioning Canada to compete for a top 10 destination ranking by 2025.”

Twenty31 turned to more than 40 industry experts in Halifax, Montreal, Toronto and Vancouver for advice on putting Canada on the culinary map. The CBC reports that chief among the obstacles facing restaurant owners nationwide is a so-called “escalator” alcohol tax that ties excise duty tax to inflation, which means you pay more for your glass of wine or pint of beer with each passing year.

Slim profit margins mean labour — both retention and attracting talent to largely minimum-wage roles — is also a significant challenge. The experts are reportedly calling for relaxed immigration regulations, which they say would accommodate more foreign workers.

The experts also called for quotas on certain Canadian products, such as P.E.I.’s heavily exported Malpeque oysters, saying that the appetite for them abroad is making them hard to secure domestically. “There was widespread regret that overseas demand — and particularly from the Far East, and particularly for fish and seafood — meant Canadian produce was not as plentiful in its home country as it should be,” the document reportedly states. “The government should be willing to look into setting quotas to ensure that people in Canada continue to have access to it, with one suggestion of a quota of 25 (per cent) of seafood being reserved for the local market.”

Twenty31’s recommendations for boosting culinary tourism were reportedly redacted in the copy provided to the CBC, and a spokesperson for Innovation, Science and Economic Development said that the department is in the process of reviewing the findings.