Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced new members of Cabinet on 26OCT following the recent federal election, and Canada’s tourism industry had its eye on the changes.
Nine new members were added to cabinet, while some were dropped, for a total of 39 ministers.
The Association of Canadian Travel Agencies (ACTA) welcomed the return of ministers that it had built relationships during the pandemic in many roles, including:
- The Ministry of Finance led by Deputy Prime Minister, the Hon. Chrystia Freeland
- Hon. Mary Ng in a new merged role as Minister of International Trade, Export Promotion, Small Business and Economic Development
- The Hon. Mélanie Joly as the new Minister of Foreign Affairs
- The Hon. Omar Alghabra as Minister of Transport
The Tourism Industry Association of Canada (TIAC) also welcomed the re-introduction of a dedicated Ministry of Tourism, with the appointment of the Hon. Randy Boissonnault as Minister of Tourism and Associate Minister of Finance.
“We... very much look forward to working with him to ensure we will achieve the goal of rebuilding Canada’s travel economy and regaining our leading competitive position in the global tourism market,” TIAC said in a statement.
“Personal Letters Going Out Today” to Begin Advocating for Travel
In its statement, ACTA said, “We will begin our advocacy immediately with personal letters going out today to each minister, explaining key points and priorities for our sector.”
Wendy Paradis, President, ACTA added, “While we were pleased to see several measures take place last week that will ease the way for travel to resume, there is still work to be done on several fronts.”
ACTA is continuing to push for continued support for Canada’s travel industry. The association is prioritizing the following support methods:
- the extension of financial support to independent travel agents and furloughed travel agency employees
- the “immediate roll-out” of the new Tourism and Hospitality Recovery Program
- the easing of the “avoid all cruise” travel advisory for fully vaccinated travellers
- the removal of the pre-departure molecular (PCR) COVID-19 test requirement for fully vaccinated travellers to Canada
On 21OCT, the Minister of Finance and Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland confirmed extended subsidies for travel agencies, set to last until 07MAY 2022.
