Greater Vancouver Board of Trade meet-and-greet: Exploring opportunities to grow B.C. tourism

Speaking Points

The Honourable Mélanie Joly, PC, MP
Minister of Tourism, Official Languages and La Francophonie

Vancouver, British Columbia
August 21, 2018

Check Against Delivery

Good morning, everyone!

Thank you for the introduction, Iain [Hon. Iain Black, President and CEO, Greater Vancouver Board of Trade].

I’d like to begin by acknowledging that we are on the traditional and unceded territory of the Coast Salish peoples.

And I also want to acknowledge the heroic and difficult work of the brave women and men fighting the wildfires throughout the province.

Our hearts go out to the communities and families affected.

About a month ago, Prime Minister Trudeau asked me to make sure tourism gets the recognition it deserves as a driver of the Canadian economy and an engine of middle-class jobs.

I know that, in this room, I’m preaching to the converted.

You know better than anyone the positive impact tourism has on our cities and communities.

It’s no surprise to you that one in ten jobs in Canada is related to this industry or that tourism brings $4.8 billion a year to Metro Vancouver, creating about 70,000 jobs in the region.

Tourism is going well. You are part of its success.

You know the massive opportunity that tourism represents for our country’s future economic growth.

You live it every day. You contribute to it every day.

Globally, the tourism industry is worth—by some estimates—some $8 trillion, and it is growing by more than 4% a year.

I challenge you to think about a global industry with greater potential.

You are all business people—like I was in a past life—so who among us would turn down an investment opportunity like that?

Unfortunately, the tourism sector is too often overlooked.

It is a bit—let’s be frank—taken for granted.

I really think tourism is a victim of its success.

In this sector, when done well, service-oriented jobs are invisible.

We get where we’re going comfortably, without giving it much thought.

We have a home away from home.

We sit down to a cold drink and a hearty meal at the end of a long day.

And that’s all thanks to people.

People like you in this room—and people like Elizabeth, a young woman I had the pleasure of meeting on Monday.

She served me my morning coffee, with a smile.

She’s from Saguenay. She recognized me and we spoke French.

Elizabeth didn’t even have a Saguenay accent!

She made my day.

Just a few weeks ago, I stopped by a fruit stand on Highway 97 between Penticton and Kelowna to buy peaches.

I met a lady who had been working there for years, and she proudly showed me her jars of homemade pickles and jams.

She made my day too.

I also make it a point to meet the airline captain whenever I can.

But I’ve never met the digital marketer who helped me book my flight.

Simply put: You can’t have a successful tourism sector without people who believe in what they do and who just want to make your day better.

I’ve given you just a few examples of the over 1.8 million Canadians who rely on tourism.

They are part of the visitor experience.

They drive our economy forward.

I want to be their voice.

If we are to take advantage of the huge opportunities presented to us by the global growth in tourism, we have work to do right here at home.

We are at risk of missing huge economic opportunities because of challenges ranging from capacity to labour shortages to readiness.

These are all surmountable, but they require leadership and coordination.

My job as Minister of Tourism is to position the sector as a key economic driver, both within government and in the eyes of Canadians.

But to do that, I need your help.

I need your ideas.

I need your networks.

And I need your passion.

We all need to be out there reminding our friends and neighbours what tourism brings to our towns and cities.

Tourism means business.

So let’s work together to showcase all that Canada has to offer—and to grow our economy while we’re at it.

Thank you.