Canadian COVID-19 Update | Tuesday, April 14
April 14, 2020
TIAC’s Work
- Prime Minister Justin Trudeau indicated in his daily press briefing today that specific support for the tourism sector, including airlines will be announced this week. This may include rent support and greater access to the Canada Emergency Business Account. TIAC continues to advocate for specific measures for those hardest hit during the pandemic. Your comments and stories are invaluable to our advocacy efforts in ensuring that measures meet our industry’s needs. While we do not yet have details on the forthcoming announcements, TIAC will share this information with the industry as soon as they are announced. Prime Minister Trudeau’s statement today can be viewed here:
- TIAC President and CEO, Charlotte Bell, continues to participate in discussions on the current state of the Tourism industry with Government and stakeholders:
- On Monday, Charlotte participated in a regular industry call with ISED Assistant Deputy Minister Paul Thompson on the state of the industry
- Today, she continued discussions with Minister Joly’s office as well as McKinsey Research and the Canadian Craft Brewer’s association among others to obtain input and feedback.
- TIAC participated in the Business Liaison Group call hosted by Judith Andrew the Commissioner (Employers) of the Canada Employment Insurance Commission to discuss program gaps and to gain clarity on criteria related to the Canada Emergency Wage Subsidy (CEWS)
- On Monday, members of the Conservative Party called on the Government to create support measures specific to the tourism and hospitality industry due to impacts of COVID-19. The proposal includes suggestions to:
- Temporarily allow owner-operators to qualify for the federal wage subsidy program
- Refunding a year’s worth of GST remittances to small businesses.
- Statistics Canada is asking Canadians to share details of how COVID-19 is impacting their lives. The survey will only take 5-10 minutes to complete and will help Government identify the implications of COVID-19 in our daily lives.
- The Government of Canada has released new information on adding measures for more flexibility for the Canada Emergency Wage Subsidy (CEWS)
- To build on the ongoing feedback we are getting from members through our survey and direct communications, and we are also analyzing and segmenting priority topics that help us inform our requests for meaningful relief measures and recommendations to Government. As such, we will be reaching out to members who can provide additional input. Please see the survey link below.
Government Announcements
- Today, the Prime Minister announced that relief for especially hard-hit sectors – including tourism, including airlines – is coming soon. He noted that the Government’s initial focus was on ensuring support for Canadians and businesses regardless of sector, but recognizes that some sectors have been harder hit than others. He has indicated that more announcements will come in the coming days.
- The Prime Minister also announced $130 million to help support northern communities and businesses in the Yukon, Northwest Territories, and Nunavut.
- Part of this funding includes money for CanNor to support small businesses access additional funding for support not covered by other programs
- The Prime Minister also announced that as of midnight tonight, asymptomatic travelers arriving in Canada who do not have a reasonably acceptable quarantine plan will also be required to quarantine in hotels.
- Finally, the Prime Minister announced that Canada has a total of 1.1 million N-95 masks, and millions of gloves ready to be delivered to provinces. There will also be a substantial supply of Canada-made gowns delivered on Monday. There will also be additional testing kits supplied to provinces