TIAC Successes

TIAC’s extensive advocacy efforts have resulted in many valuable wins for Canada’s tourism sector. While there remains much work to be done, we are proud of what we’ve achieved and will continue to work hard advocating for the best interests of our national tourism industry.
TIAC Successes
 2019 Successes posted on May 10, 2019
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2019 Successes
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Marketing
- $5 million to Destination Canada (DC) for domestic marketing
- Maintaining core funding for DC at $95.5 million
- The creation of a seventh Economic Strategy Table dedicated to tourism signals that the government is taking the sector seriously as a driver of economic growth in Canada
- Two extensive funds to support arts and festivals
- $16 million over two years, to the Canada Arts Presentation Fund to support not-for-profit professional performing arts organizations in all regions of the country
- Major festivals will be supported by $24 million over two years to the Building Communities Through Arts and Heritage Program and the Celebration and Commemoration Program
- Funding for Global Affairs Canada for Canada's participation in World Expo 2020, to be hosted in Dubai. This will be an opportunity to showcase Canada as a destination for trade, investment, tourism and culture, to a large international audience
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Access
- CATSA to become an independent agency from the government
- $78.6 million over two years for IRCC to facilitate the efficient entry of visitors
- $42.9 million over two years for IRCC call centres to better respond to visitor inquiries
- Increased oversight of the Canadian Border Services Agency (CBSA) and $24.42 million over five years to expand the mandate of the Civilian Review and Complaints Commission for the RCMP
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People
- Student Work Placement Programwill expand and receive $631.2M over five years for work-integrated learning for students in fields outside of Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) industries to support up to 20,000 new work placements
- Employment and Social Development Canada (ESDC) will receive $150M over four years to increase innovative partnerships and create up to 20,000 additional job placements for student work experiences
- $710M over 5 years for the Canada Training Benefit to help with the cost of training fees and provide an EI training support to allow workers to take time off to pursue training without risking job security
- An EI Small Business Premium Rebate will pay employer EI premiums equal to or less than $20,000 per year who qualify for a rebate to offset the upward pressure on EI premiums resulting from the introduction of the new EI Training Support Benefit
- Supplement Guaranteed Income Supplement (GIS) top-up payment by up to $947 per year for single seniors who wish to continue some work after retirement
- Commitments in the 2019 Liberal platform to improve seasonal worker EI programs, especially in tourism-based communities
- Commitments in the 2019 Conservative platform to support the establishment clear standards and timelines for Labour Market Impact Assessment processes and revise the zoning regions to make sure rural areas and tourism hotspots are not lumped into large geographic areas with urban hubs
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Product
- $58.2 million over two years for regional development agencies to develop new tourism experiences through the Canadian Experiences Fund
- Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) will receive up to $31 million over the next five years to increase the number of detector dogs deployed across the country
- Investments of $19 million over five years to Parks Canada to update park infrastructure & develop of a new national park in the Northwest Territories
- Tourism & culture, as well as regional and local airports will be listed as categories that are eligible for ‘Municipal top-up funds' to improve and support infrastructure in local communities
- The extension of funding for the Canada Ferry Services contribution program to 2022 and procurement of 2 new ferries operating between Prince Edward Island and Nova Scotia, and Prince Edward Island and Quebec
- An investment of $1.7B over 13 years for Universal Broadband Access which will help rural, remote and indigenous tourism businesses develop market readiness
- Expanding the rental housing finance initiative - additional $10 billion over nine years in financing through the Rental Construction Financing Initiative, extending the program until 2027–28. This will support 42,500 new units across Canada, particularly in areas of low rental supply for tourism employees
- Commitment in the 2019 Liberal platform to create a Tourism Community Infrastructure Fund to invest $100million in the local needs of communities that rely on tourism
- Commitments in the NDP platform to support tourism development in rural communities through regional economic development agencies
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 2018 Successes posted on May 10, 2019
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 2017 Successes posted on May 10, 2019
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2017 Successes
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Marketing
- Secured $95.5 million in permanent funding for Destination Canada
- 8.6 million over four years to support the development of Canada’s unique and authentic Indigenous tourism industry
- $13.6 million over five years, to Statistics Canada to broaden tourism data collection
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Access
- Amending the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act to ensure that the Express Entry system is responsive to the needs of the Canadian labour market
- Announcements for 7 new visa application centers (VACs) in China
- Mexican visa requirements lifted completely, and Brazilian, Romanian and Bulgarian visas lifted for eligible travellers
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People
- An exemption from the 10% cap on Temporary Foreign Workers (TFWs) has been extended to the firms in seasonal industry
- An additional $7.8 million over two years to implement a new Global Talent Stream under the Temporary Foreign Worker Program
- An additional $395.5 million over three years for the Youth Employment Strategy
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Product
- $364 million over two years for Parks Canada to continue its management of Canada’s national parks, marine conservation areas, and national heritage sites
- $30 million to complete the Trans Canada Trail
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 2016 Successes posted on May 10, 2019
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2016 Successes
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Marketing
- $10 million for the promotion and hosting in Toronto of the 2017 Invictus Games for ill and injured veterans
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Access
- $3.3 million to support an in-depth assessment of VIA Rail’s high-frequency rail proposal
- $34 million to VIA Rail for improvements at stations and maintenance centres
- $51.9 million to support the continued operation of ferry services in Atlantic Canada
- $22 million to Marine Atlantic Inc. to install a new mooring system for its ferries operating between Channel-Port aux Basques, Newfoundland and Labrador, and North Sydney, Nova Scotia
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People
- Successful Trade Mission to China in October 2016 through government funding to offset costs for SMEs
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Product
- $40 million over two years to renew the Strategic Investments in Northern Economic Development program delivered by the Canadian Northern Economic Development Agency
- $42.4 million to continue work on developing new national parks and national marine conservation areas, including the Lancaster Sound National Marine Conservation Area, Nunavut and Thaidene Nene National Park, Northwest Territories
- $83.3 million, to provide free admission for all visitors to national parks, national marine conservation areas and national historic sites operated by Parks Canada in 2017, and to provide free admission for all children under 18 years of age, beginning in 2018
- $16.6 million over five years to expand the Learn to Camp program, develop new programming to tell Canada’s stories, and encourage Indigenous story-telling and eco-tourism opportunities
- $85.9 million to expand/improve part of the Trans-Canada Highway through Yoho National Park in British Columbia
- $21.6 million to pave highways through Wood Buffalo National Park in the Northwest Territories
- $65.9 million for a new biking and walking trail in Jasper National Park in Alberta
- $17.7 million to build a new biking and walking trail in Pacific Rim National Park Reserve in British Columbia
- $25.3 million from the Small Communities Fund to support five recreational and sport facility projects in Nunavut, including a cultural centre in Cape Dorset, repairs for the Cambridge Bay Arena and the Iqaluit Aquatic Centre
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