Baldinelli, Gates call for tourism aid
Federal heritage minister said industry has been ‘hard hit’ by COVID-19
Niagara Falls’ MP and MPP are calling on the federal and provincial governments to announce economic aid packages to support tourism.
As he returned to Ottawa this week, Conservative MP Tony Baldinelli talked about how the COVID-19 pandemic is having “immediate and devastating” impacts on Canada’s tourism sector.
“My community of Niagara Falls has been hit particularly hard,” he said.
“With over 16,000 hotel rooms in hotels employing almost 40,000 workers and generating over $2.4 billion in receipts, Niagara’s hotels and accommodations, restaurants and resorts and other small-business operations have all been devastated by this terrible virus.”
Canadian Heritage Minister and Liberal MP Steven Guilbeault said the government recognizes tourism has been “hard hit” by COVID-19 and is working “tirelessly” to mitigate its impact on the Canadian economy.
“As a first step, we are providing immediate help to those Canadians and businesses most in need, including to people without pay because of COVID-19, whether they are sick, caring for a loved one, unemployed or have been sent home.”
He said the government remains in communication with its provincial and territorial colleagues, as well as with Indigenous leaders and communities “to ensure we have a co-ordinated Canada-wide approach, so we face and recover from this together.”
“Our tourism sector is strong and resilient, and we will always be there to support it.”
Baldinelli said the finance committee met April 8 to examine issues related to Canadian tourism and how the health crisis was negatively impacting the sector. He said the Hotel Association of Canada put forward some “immediate solutions” that would help.
“One recommendation would allow the sector to submit its loss carry-over for the financial year now, which would provide businesses with much-needed financial liquidity,” said Baldinelli.
“We have also suggested that the government examine rebating the HST payments made by businesses in 2019, again with the purpose of providing them with much-needed financial liquidity quickly.”
Guilbeault said the government has acted “swiftly” to help Canadians, as well as small, medium and large businesses.
“We are working every day — morning, day and often night — to do even more for them. We will continue to do so until, together as Canadians, we get through this crisis.”
NDP MPP Wayne Gates said the province also needs to support the tourism sector.
“We’re talking about thousands of people out of work, falling through the cracks of federal programs and without provincial assistance — not just in the hotels, but at the parks, the restaurants and our stores,” he said.
“They need money and they need it now, which is the message I’ve delivered to the premier and to some of his ministers.”
Gates said while the Progressive Conservative government has worked with his party on “many things, we’re still missing the critical support for workers” in tourism.
He said in addition to approving “direct funding to go into the pockets” of those people, the province should help operators stay in business and avoid accumulating “massive debt.”
Those supports could include postponing tourism and marketing fees and allow hotels “to use that capital to keep staff on, provide access to interest-free credits and grants for keeping staff on.”
Niagara West PC MPP Sam Oosterhoff said the province is in regular contact with tourism stakeholders, seeking input on what Queen’s Park can do to help.
He said Heritage, Sport, Tourism and Culture Minister Lisa MacLeod has held weekly conference calls with up to 1,000 stakeholders.
Gates said he’s grateful to MacLeod for allowing him to participate in those calls, even though he’s not a member of the government.
Oosterhoff said he and MacLeod also recently held a virtual roundtable teleconference with several local tourism stakeholders.
“My team just sent out a questionnaire to a significant number of tourism stakeholders with regards to what they believe some of the ways that support should be brought, whether that’s payroll relief, or direct support, or marketing support,” he said.
“There’s a number of different conversations that are ongoing about that. I can’t really say where they’re going to end up landing, but I do know that that’s a very active piece.”