MONTREAL -- Ottawa's plans to provide aid for the struggling tourism sector were greeted with relief Tuesday, while Canada's airlines awaited word on support for their industry.
The Liberal government on Monday announced the roll-out of the Highly Affected Sectors Credit Availability Program, which would provide low-interest loans to struggling businesses in the tourism, hotel and other sectors. The government also announced that the Canada Emergency Wage Subsidy would return to its original rate of 75 per cent.
Susie Grynol, president and CEO of the Hotel Association of Canada, said the government's measures will help stem the losses in the industry, which she described as being at a breaking point.
Grynol said Ottawa's measures show that the government had listened to the industry, which is among the hardest-hit by the pandemic's economic toll. Still, she cautioned that the sector will need more targeted aid down the line, particularly in March when Ottawa's increase to the wage subsidy expires.
Absent from the government's announcement was help for Canada's major airlines, which are still struggling amid a lack of demand for travel.
On Monday, the National Airlines Council of Canada called on the federal government to move quickly in developing a targeted aid package for the industry and to roll out measures like rapid COVID testing at airports that would increase demand for travel.
"While other countries around the world moved forward months ago to provide sectoral support for airlines, Canada remains a global outlier and is ostensibly stuck at stage zero on the government planning process," the group said in a statement.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published December 1, 2020.
