Finance committee  That statistic is actually for the coalition. The number for hotels is even worse. It's 70%.

Finance committee  It's absolute devastation. The hotel industry would be considered the anchor business of the tourism industry. It supports commerce and the movement of people, and it's critical for communities that rely on tourism. That's the first thing you do when you plan a trip—you book the hotel.

Finance committee  Yes. At this stage, I would point to the U.K. They probably have the best model in place. They're using a traffic light system. Green is for 12 low-risk countries. They'll open first to low-risk countries, where you have to test negative and then you have no quarantine. Amber is for countries that are moderate risk, so you must self-isolate for 10 days.

Finance committee  Yes and no. We don't want it extended for everybody. What we're saying is that it's time to tailor it to the sectors that really need it. I am not recommending that it be extended in its current form, because it's just way too expensive. Half of the businesses that are getting it right now don't need it.

Finance committee  Yes, I do have communications with other hotel associations around the world. In particular, I'll reference the American Hotel and Lodging Association. They're faring a lot better than we are. I don't think that will be a surprise to anyone around the table. Referencing occupancy levels in Canada last week, we were 28% versus the U.S. at 54%.

Finance committee  I suppose they have had different levels of restrictions in place.

Finance committee  First let me say that the reason we still have an industry standing is because of the investments this government has made. We've had a very open working relationship with the government. They have certainly listened to our plight and have been responsive. We're grateful for that, but I will say that it is time for a plan.

Finance committee  Thank you, Mr. Chair. My remarks are only five minutes, so we'll buy some extra time for questions. Thank you for the invitation to speak with you today. My name is Susie Grynol, and I am the president and CEO of the Hotel Association of Canada. Today I am here on behalf of the Coalition of Hardest Hit Businesses, representing more than 100 organizations in the tourism, travel, arts and culture, events and festivals, accommodation and hospitality sectors.

Finance committee  I would just say that without the investment in these programs, we wouldn't have a hotel industry today. I would just say thank you to the government for that. However, I would say that moving forward, these programs have to be tailored. They have to be tailored to the people who really need them.

Finance committee  It has to be in the budget. The budget has to say to the travel and tourism industry, we've got your back; we are giving you predictability that you are going to be able to pay your bills through CERS, that CEWS is going to be there and you can hang on to your employees. It cannot be June; it has to be now, because the decisions on whether to close or stay open are happening today.

Finance committee  We've had an uneven playing field for some time now, at multiple levels of government, frankly. Here you have an industry that's emerged where they're basically selling the same product, but they're just doing it online. Who is competing with us are the operators who are buying up whole buildings and kicking people out of their homes, who are taking long-term housing supply off the market and who are using it to rent on a short-term basis.

Finance committee  There are critical infrastructures that support the travel economy. Hotels are one of them. Airlines are one of them. When we get back to a post-COVID universe, in order to have a functional society we are going to need this infrastructure in place. With the numbers we're talking about, this kind of loss with 70% of the industry going down, what this means is that when we have....

Finance committee  Well, we certainly won't be able to play host to them if we don't have accommodation. That's the first thing you do when you bid on any of these international events. You need to have enough places for people to stay, so first of all we need to preserve the infrastructure. I do believe that Canada has the capacity to build back if we get the kind of tailored support that we are looking for.

Finance committee  Yes, that was from a survey that came out of the field just three weeks ago.

Finance committee  I think the best shot at recovery for our sector is next summer, but all of the projected data on that recovery suggests that a true recovery to 2019 levels is not forecast for several years to follow. By next summer, if we have restrictions lifted and people can move around and we are able to generate enough revenue to pay the bills, we are not going to need more government support at that time.