Fed up with the lack of decisive action on the part of the Canadian government regarding reopening travel and tourism, stakeholders hoped for additional visibility today by holding a press conference at YOW.
President and CEO of the Canadian Chamber of Commerce, Perrin Beattie, didn't mince words when he stated that Canada is a leader in vaccination, but a laggard when it comes to a plan for reopening the country.
Beattie, along with members of the Canadian Travel and Tourism Roundtable (CTTR), asserted that Canadians have a right to know the criteria for reopening, and need a clear vaccination certification process to speed and support reopening the country.
A number of speakers used strong language in echoing the sentiment.
Beth Potter, President and CEO at Tourism Industry Association of Canada (TIAC) said that one clear, plan for the whole country is needed from the federal government, and called for more forward thinking policies, before Canada has 13 different travel policies between its provinces and territories.
Susie Grenell, President and CEO of the Hotel Association of Canada said that members of the CTTR support the expert advisory panel, and that policies should be rooted in science. She added that fully vaccinated travellers should be exempted from quarantine, based on expert recommendations.
Grenell called for the Canadian government to heed advice of the expert advisory panel, and to provide clear, timely and safe guidance for travel and opening borders, saying that, “other countries are reopening, and Canada will be behind.”
Grenell stressed, "Everyone just needs a date and a plan."
Daniel Gooch, President of the Canadian Airports Council, said that demand to travel across Canada and the world is there, but the lack of a federal reopening plan is holding Canada back.
Michael McNaney, President and CEO of the National Airline Council of Canada, said companies are losing money and people are losing jobs, adding that a restoration of services is essential for the travel sector to recover, and that a plan is needed to do so.
He said that right now airlines are “planning in the dark” and that there is no basis or justification for the government not having a comprehensive plan.
Beattie returned at the end of the press conference to stress: “We need a plan now and everyone needs to know what it is,” said Beattie.
“We are one week away from the opening of the US border closure,” he continued. “And we have no system in Canada to certify Canadians for international vaccination standards – this is a problem.”
Beattie also noted that there are currently no details about children who are not eligible for vaccinations who are travelling with their parents.
He ended by saying, “We are glad to work with government and public health to develop a plan.”
Potter said that the TIAC is working with colleagues in Canada and U.S. to raise importance of this plan, and said, “If we don't have a summer season this year we could close 75 per cent of tourism in small and medium sectors.”
She shared her frustration by commenting that the Montreal Canadiens play in Las Vegas and have 30,000 fans in attendance. “If there can be a plan for NHL teams, why can't there be a plan for the rest of canadians?” She asked.
The U.S. now allows ships to not make the one international stop because of Canadian border restrictions and Beattie warned that this rule could become permanent and hurt the Canadian tourism industry.
Beattie closed out the conference by stating that the Canadian government, “needs to decide if being vaccinated is meaningful,” and that if the government wants people to get vaccinated, then they need to allow travel to and from Canada.
