Ottawa, ON – Michelle Ferreri, Conservative Shadow Minister for Tourism, and Bernard Généreux, Conservative Deputy Shadow Minister for Tourism, issued the pursuing assertion on the Trudeau government’s failure to assist unbiased vacation advisors as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic:
“Independent journey advisors offer above 75 for every cent of business to significant Canadian vacation suppliers. With no these specialists, our tourism business will collapse.
“For a lot more than two years, the 12,000 impartial journey advisors in this feminine-dominated industry, who contribute $2.4 billion to our financial system have been still left guiding by the Liberal government. They have been unable to obtain pandemic aid systems this sort of as the Canada Employee Lockdown Reward (CWLB) and the Tourism Relief Fund (TRF).
“Excluding the impartial travel advisors from these programs is one more example in the prolonged listing of Liberal band-aid remedies and coverage failures that has permitted Canadians to drop by means of the cracks. The injury this has brought about is very long-phrase, which include psychological overall health impacts these as anxiousness, burnout, and despair due to the fact they are slipping even further driving.
“Despite the simple fact that unbiased journey advisors have created and achieved with the Liberal govt and other policymakers hundreds of moments considering that the beginning of the pandemic, little progress has been manufactured to get the essential assist desired to this sector.
“Conservatives are contacting on the Trudeau Liberals to right away evaluation and alter the eligibility standards for the Tourism Reduction Fund to consist of impartial travel advisors. The Canadian tourism sector requirements our assist to get better, and these professionals are a significant section of the tourism sector.”