Coalition of Hardest Hit Businesses Applauds New Employment Support Program

The Coalition of Hardest Hit Businesses is praising the new targeted support measures for businesses that are still facing significant pandemic-related challenges, including the Tourism and Hospitality Recovery Program and the Hardest-Hit Business Recovery Program, that were announced by the Trudeau government earlier today. We also applaud the announcement on the new international vaccine passport. These new initiatives will help support our hard-hit sector through the winter period, prioritizing job creation and a strong recovery of the travel economy.

“The federal government had Canadians’ backs throughout the pandemic,” said Beth Potter, President and CEO of the Tourism Industry Association of Canada (TIAC). “Today, the government delivered on its election promise to provide the tourism, hotel, and events businesses the help they need to survive, and to continue to maintain the highest levels of employment possible.”

“The tourism industry is the hardest hit industry. Even as the economy reopens, business and international travel will take time to recover,” said Susie Grynol, President and CEO of the Hotel Association of Canada (HAC). “The new programs announced today will help our members stay alive through a difficult winter until our expected recovery in the spring.”

The tourism, hotel, and events sectors are unique:

• Most global tourists visit Canada only in the summer. This international summer season was missed due to border restrictions;
• We have entered the off-season where domestic travel slows and Canadians travel south;
• Mass gathering restrictions mean that large events – festivals, conferences, live music – are prevented from operating;
• Key messages from government that “now is not the time to travel” are still in effect;
• Work from home has resulted in limited business travel.

Without continued support, many tourism, hotel and event businesses would have closed permanently, making temporary job losses permanent. This would have had a significant negative impact not only on the tourism industry, but Canada’s broader economic recovery overall. This announcement gives our industry hope as we work hard to achieve full recovery from the effects of the pandemic.

Press Release