On March 19, Finance Minister Bill Morneau will table the federal government’s pre-election budget. TIAC will be looking for any funding or other initiatives supporting the tourism sector, specifically in the key priorities areas outlined in our pre-budget submission:

• Marketing funding
• Labour
• Access
• Cost competitiveness

With record international arrivals in 2018 now behind us, there is a solid case for increased support of our sector as a key economic engine for Canada. As this will be the incumbent government’s last budget before the next federal election, it will set the precedent for political party platforms. We continue to advocate for tourism representation in these priorities.

TIAC continues to work closely with government stakeholders on keeping tourism top-of-mind. Our recent political advocacy efforts, including our February’s Hill Days and Parliamentary Tourism Caucus events, help to ensure our message is heard loud and clear ahead of the upcoming budget.

Keep an eye for TIAC’s upcoming communications to get our members engaged in tourism advocacy. We have big plans to ensure the industry’s voice is heard during Tourism Week and we will be releasing our election toolkit for the industry this spring – stay tuned to TIAC Talk for more details.

We’ll be watching the budget on March 19 so keep an eye on our Twitter feed for live updates. You can also follow the conversation with #TourismMatters.

Following the budget release, TIAC will update members on key funding announcements including any initiatives that will impact the visitor economy.