Honourable Senators, I have risen many times in the chamber to speak about tourism, but today will be a little different.

I rise today to initiate a Senate inquiry into the nation-building value of tourism. This idea came about during a conversation with Darren Reeder, who is the president of the Tourism Industry Association of Alberta, about the need to keep tourism on the political agenda in Ottawa. It was Darren who raised the idea of launching an ongoing tourism awareness initiative through the Senate.

I’d also like to thank the Tourism Industry Association of Canada, Tourism HR Canada, Destination Canada, the Hotel Association of Canada, the Indigenous Tourism Association of Canada and Meetings Mean Business Canada for keeping us up to date with information and regional data.

When you hear the word “tourism,” you might think of cruises, ski chalets or big events like the Calgary Stampede. You may be aware of the tremendous economic impact of these attractions.

The Calgary Stampede, for example, generates over $280 million in economic impact for Alberta alone. In one year, the cruise industry was responsible for $5 billion in economic output and 23,700 jobs in Canada.

Campgrounds, resorts and chalets create well over 10,000 jobs across Canada, many of them in small, rural communities.

You may even think, “That’s great, but we don’t really have tourism in my region.” Think again.

In your own community, you likely have a concert hall, a charming holiday market or a popular hiking trail that draws people from out of town. You might have a family member who travels around the country visiting local heritage sites or a friend who drove to see a concert in another city. All of that is tourism.

The outdoor enthusiasts who drive out to the country to fish, hunt and experience nature are tourists, as are the sightseers and shoppers who flock to Canada’s vibrant cities.

Monuments and historical sites are tourist attractions, as are mountains, rivers and waterfalls. Farms across Canada offer agritourism activities and are the backbone of countless festivals and markets.

Business travel is tourism. Large events like conferences, tournaments, festivals and concerts are huge drivers of tourist activity.

The tourism ecosystem also includes performing arts venues, museums, galleries, restaurants and retailers that serve locals and visitors alike. These people aren’t just generating income for the attraction they’re visiting. They’re bringing an influx of cash into the community itself.

A War of 1812 enthusiast visiting Fort St. Joseph in northern Ontario, or a Swiftie trekking to Toronto for a concert, will likely spend the rest of the day exploring the area, shopping at the local stores and eating at local restaurants.

According to Meetings Mean Business Canada, the average business traveller attending an out-of-town conference or event will spend $900 in their host city. Keep in mind, events like the annual PDAC Convention in Toronto and the Global Energy Show in Calgary regularly attract tens of thousands of attendees. Many of them will extend their trip to do more sightseeing and, if they have a good experience, they’ll likely return as tourists in the future.

Make no mistake, tourism is big business with high stakes. Tourism is uniquely vulnerable to outside events: natural disasters and economic downturns, rising costs and regulatory changes, public health concerns and political uncertainty.

Gondola operators in Banff could easily lose thousands of dollars from one day of fog. Imagine the impact of a years-long global pandemic, complete with travel bans and gathering restrictions. The industry was just starting to recover from COVID-19 when trade tensions with the U.S. kicked off a new wave of rising costs and economic anxiety, placing additional burdens on travellers and operators alike.

Climate change is another ongoing concern, with extreme weather events like fires and floods becoming more frequent, and temperature fluctuations adding wear and tear to our infrastructure.

Still, tourism is a vital economic driver with incredible, untapped potential. Canada’s brand is strong. There is tremendous interest in what we have to offer, from our one-of-a-kind natural places to our unique culture.

Canada has the opportunity to be a major hub, not just for leisure tourism, but for conferences and large events. However, we’ll fall short of that potential if we don’t make a concerted effort to address the challenges facing this sector.

Labour shortages have had an impact on every segment of the tourism and hospitality industry, from mom-and-pop restaurants to major airports. A contributing factor is the housing shortage, which makes it difficult to recruit and retain seasonal workers.

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Hotel capacity is another major issue. We have state-of-the-art convention centres that can hold more visitors than nearby hotels can accommodate, which limits our ability to host large events.

International visitors are often deterred by cumbersome entry procedures and long wait times for tourist visas. Staffing issues and outdated processes have caused congestion and delays at our airports, and we struggle to offer the road and rail service needed to connect urban centres with smaller communities.

Canada’s tourism industry has worked closely with the government to outline what needs to be done before we can realize our full potential as a destination. We must streamline the process of travelling to and within Canada so our visitors will remember the pleasant experiences they had rather than delays at the airport.

We need a multimodal transportation network to make more of Canada accessible to visitors, including our picturesque small towns and incredible natural landmarks. We need to upgrade our existing tourism assets while investing in new ones. That includes building hotel capacity to both provide a better experience for guests and increase our ability to attract large events and conventions.

We need to foster a tourism industry that’s inclusive and sustainable, because it’s the right thing to do, and because it will burnish Canada’s international reputation for diversity, environmental stewardship and respect for human rights.

We need to work with Indigenous communities and entrepreneurs to grow the Indigenous tourism sector, with truth-telling stories advancing reconciliation while capitalizing on demand for authentic cultural experiences.

Also, we need to pursue a whole-of-government approach to developing Canada’s tourism industry. Tourism touches nearly every federal ministerial file: Immigration, transportation, housing, labour and skill development are tourism issues, as are infrastructure, the environment, languages and heritage, agriculture, emergency response, economic development and trade. To address the many challenges the sector is facing, we need to stop working in silos.

Why should Canadians care about any of this? I’ve spoken a lot about the economic value of tourism. I’d like to spend some time talking about the cultural impact. Tourism is crucial in preserving our history, heritage and distinct Canadian culture. I’ll give a few examples.

Our iconic Western Canadian rodeos commemorate our agricultural heritage, and the Canadian Tulip Festival in Ottawa educates thousands of visitors about Canada’s heroism during World War II. Performing arts events like the Maritime Fiddle Festival, the Stratford Festival, Ottawa Bluesfest and Edmonton Fringe sustain traditional art forms while promoting the up-and-coming Canadian artists of today.

Indigenous tourism operations like Head-Smashed-In Buffalo Jump, Métis Crossing and Blackfoot Crossing in Alberta; Mādahòkì Farm in Ottawa; and the Hôtel-Musée Premières Nations in Quebec use storytelling, performance and hands-on activities to educate guests about Indigenous cultures and history. Authentic Indigenous experiences are also vehicles for cultural revitalization, supporting traditional artists and Knowledge Keepers in keeping customs and languages alive.

Tourism allows us to celebrate diversity and promote Canadian values of inclusivity and human rights. For instance, pride celebrations draw LGBTQ2S+ people and allies from across the country and around the world, celebrating progress while opening avenues for continued advocacy.

Similarly, cultural events like the Caribana Toronto, the Ottawa Lebanese Festival, New Brunswick’s Festival acadien de Caraquet and Edmonton’s annual Sikh Parade, as well as celebrations of Diwali, Chinese New Year and other holidays, bring together diverse communities to share their traditions.

There are small towns across this country who are literally sustained by the local tourism and hospitality sector. There, jobs created by tourism — at lodges, campgrounds, restaurants and hotels or as outfitters and guides — are what allow the younger generation to stay home and build their own families in the places where they grew up. These are the kinds of stories I want to hear from my Senate colleagues. I want to hear about your communities, your workers and their families, your local landmarks, your beloved businesses and your regional cultures. Tell me what tourists discover when they visit your provinces and territories and what they contribute in turn.

It’s my goal to hear from every province and territory over the course of this inquiry. If you need help getting started, my office is on hand to connect you with resources and data. Your local destination management and marketing organizations will also be a great resource for information, as well as TIAC — or the Tourism Industry Association of Canada — Tourism HR Canada, Destination Canada, the Indigenous Tourism Association of Canada, the Hotel Association of Canada, Meetings Mean Business and many other national and regional industry associations.

I hope you’ll join me in celebrating the power of tourism to bring people together, promote Canadian values and make us stronger as a nation.

Thank you.

Hon. Percy E. Downe: Would the senator take a question?

Senator Sorensen: Absolutely.

Senator Downe: Thank you. Like you, I come from a part of Canada where many jobs depend on our tourism industry. I am surprised about the backlash to tourism that seems to be growing around the world. We see the protests marchers in Europe. We have concerns in Canada. For example, in my province, there is growing concern about Airbnb, which is displacing residents living in communities for a very profitable short season. In P.E.I., from mid-June to mid-September, you can make a lot of money — more than you can make over 12 months renting to a family — and then the properties are vacant.

You may not know the answer to this question, but perhaps you could find out: What is the tourism industry doing to address some of these concerns?

Senator Sorensen: Of course, I understand. There was a time in Banff when I was the mayor and would say that we didn’t have a visitor problem; we had a vehicle problem because we had so much traffic congestion. Today, I would say that the number of visitors we are seeing on some weekends becomes quite overwhelming in the community. But to your point, it is seasonal. My experience of the destination marketing organizations is that everybody is working very hard just to expand the season, to try to look at things to do in the off-season and to draw people to the destinations throughout the course of the year. Again, thinking of my own backyard, everybody wants to see Lake Louise and Moraine Lake, but there are a lot of beautiful lakes in Banff National Park where there is not a lot of traffic.

Destination Canada would be the mothership of marketing in this country, and then every province has a provincial organization. Many destinations have even more local organizations. There is a real effort to try to promote less popular areas and prove that there are many things to see in the same destination.

Senator Downe: My question is really about balance around the prosperity tourism brings — and I benefited from that prosperity when I went to university. Though I was an unqualified bartender, I made a lot of money.

But I also hear continuing concerns, for example, about cruise ships. There is a different standard between the United States and Canada in what can be expelled from the ships into our waters. Fishermen are growing concerned about that. I guess the question is this: How do we balance the good things about tourism and what the tourism industry is doing to address concerns so we don’t have a stronger backlash against a whole industry, which we’re seeing in many countries around the world? Venice, for example, has put in place an additional tax. Others are trying to restrict how many people can come to their areas. We are nowhere near there yet, but if things progress, that’s where we’re heading. What can the tourism industry do to address these concerns before they become major problems?

Senator Sorensen: Sustainable tourism and ecotourism are ongoing conversations in the industry. You made a great comment about the cruise industry. That industry is working very hard to electrify the ships, though then, of course, we have a problem with the ports and who can plug in and how, et cetera. I would just say that that’s an ongoing conversation in the industry. Air travel, again, is a big polluter.

In terms of the number of people, I agree with you. I can think of places where overtourism is a definite concern. Again, in my backyard, we are now very focused on visitor management. We certainly don’t say that people can’t come into the national park or the Town of Banff, but we are working on ways to manage the flow of vehicles and people.

The Hon. the Speaker: Senator Sorensen, there is another senator who would like to ask a question. I was wondering if you would like more time, because your time for debate has expired.

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Therefore, senator, are you asking your honourable colleagues for more time?

Senator Sorensen: I would like more time for Senator Cuzner’s question.

The Hon. the Speaker: Is leave granted, honourable senators?

Hon. Senators: Agreed.

Hon. Rodger Cuzner: Thank you.

First of all, I want to thank you for bringing this forward. I look forward to making an intervention on behalf of my region of Cape Breton and Nova Scotia more broadly, because it does have tremendous impacts on our province.

There was a question asked during Question Period with regard to the available workforce being temporary foreign workers. By nature, tourism is seasonal in many regions, for the most part, and those workers are temporary.

Given the many stakeholders with whom you have spoken, could you elaborate upon some of the challenges that they are finding with access, especially in the rural areas where young people might not be year-round? What are some of the challenges that they are facing in providing services to those tourists?

Senator Sorensen: Thank you for the question.

I sit on the Standing Senate Committee on Agriculture and Forestry, so I now have a lot of meetings with people who are in agriculture. It is amazing how similar the conversations are around temporary foreign workers and workforces in rural areas.

I would just say that the intention of the Temporary Foreign Worker Program — when we go back to when that started — began with great intent, and it certainly served the industry incredibly well. As temporary foreign workers started to come to our country, destinations did not find themselves struggling. It is a path to permanent residency. Certainly, in Banff, it has worked that way.

But it continues to be a struggle. We can’t paint every industry with the same brush. Agriculture and maybe fisheries have certain streams specifically, as tourism historically did. It does not any longer, and I would hope that tourism would be looked at seriously by the government in terms of temporary foreign workers and giving them a specific stream to bring temporary foreign workers to our destinations as needed.