Nation-Building Value of Tourism
Inquiry--Debate Continued
June 2, 2026
Honourable senators, I rise today to speak to the inquiry opened by my friend and sibling in the Senate Senator Sorensen, who has spoken so powerfully about the nation-building value of tourism.
When I tell people I’m from Cornwall, I often hear, “Oh yes, I’ve driven past that on my way to Montreal or Toronto.” I heard it again last night at a reception.
Or I’ll hear, “Isn’t that the city that smells terrible?”
Let me set the record straight, here and now. When you’re on Highway 401, you have three opportunities to take the off-ramp to my home city. Take that opportunity, especially in the summer, and you’ll discover that the paper mill is closed. We mourned the loss of that paper mill — we still do — but the smell is gone.
You may be thinking: Is this speech just an ad for tourism in Akwesasne, Cornwall and the United Counties of Stormont, Dundas and Glengarry? Yes and no.
My thesis — and it is a thesis — will be illustrated by examples from these beloved areas, just in time for you to consider a stop this summer.
What I’ll argue is this: If you are looking for hope and optimism during difficult times, if you are seeking connection and community or if you want a reminder of the best that Canada can be, there is no better way to find it than through local tourism.
Take Upper Canada Village as an example. It’s a reminder of our past and how nation building forever altered our local landscape with the building of the St. Lawrence Seaway. Upper Canada Village is a beloved place, made even more welcoming and inclusive after author Keisha Cuffie told its stories from a Black perspective. They will celebrate Emancipation Day on August 1, and you’re invited. We all need more connection to our history, and this is an exceptional place to start.
While you’re in the area, take in the Glengarry Highland Games, where a community of fewer than 1,000 welcomes tens of thousands of visitors. Scotland doesn’t seem so far away when you’re surrounded by hundreds of bagpipes and kilts in Maxville, Ontario, or — as Senator Coyle told us in her speech to this inquiry — in Antigonish, Nova Scotia. Over 75 years after the first games, this event is a source of immense pride for locals. Honourable senators, you’re invited. You don’t need to be Scottish to appreciate these games.
The Akwesasne Powwow takes place every September on the weekend after Labour Day. Honourable colleagues, you are all invited to attend. The best dancers, drummers and artisans of the region gather there to compete and connect. Try some strawberry juice, shop for gorgeous beaded earrings and engage in reconciliACTION through education, connection and celebration.
After our colleague’s highly enthusiastic comments and her invitation that we visit Cornwall, I’d like to thank Senator Sorensen for drawing the Senate’s attention to the importance of the tourism industry in Canada’s and Quebec’s development.
I couldn’t pass up this opportunity to speak, having spent the 1980s in this industry as head of the Office du tourisme et des congrès de Rimouski. In fact, in the late 1970s, I helped create regional tourism associations in the Gaspé and Lower St. Lawrence regions that were charged with promotion and marketing, tourist reception and information, and tourism development.
Senator Sorensen invited a Parks Canada official to the Senate today. In 1982, when I was the mayor of Pointe-au-Père, we signed the first partnership agreement with Parks Canada to operate and develop the Pointe-au-Père lighthouse. Local management of the marine historic site gave the green light to a number of community and tourism industry initiatives, such as the opening of the Empress of Ireland museum and public access to the Onondaga military submarine.
As mayor of Rimouski, I also had the opportunity to support this industry by helping to strengthen our visitor facilities and tourist attractions, ensuring that Rimouski and the Lower St. Lawrence region become more enticing, and helping to develop our brand image, which focuses on promoting maritime Quebec.
Canada is renowned worldwide for the vastness of its landscapes, the richness of its biodiversity, the vitality of its cities and the depth of its cultures, particularly those of First Nations, Inuit and Métis peoples. Tourism helps showcase these assets while generating tangible and measurable economic benefits for our communities.
Economically speaking, the tourism industry acts as a powerful regional driver. Unlike other sectors concentrated in major urban centres, tourism is highly decentralized. It benefits small municipalities, villages, northern regions and less densely populated areas. Every visitor who stays in a region contributes to the local economy. They stay in local accommodations, eat in local restaurants, buy local products, visit local attractions and use local transportation services.
This spending creates local jobs — often ones that cannot be outsourced — in the hospitality, restaurant, recreation, cultural, agri-tourism and local retail sectors. They also support an entire chain of suppliers: agricultural producers, artisans, service companies, tour guides and seasonal workers. Thus, every dollar invested or spent on tourism generates a multiplier effect that benefits the entire community.
For example, in the Lower St. Lawrence tourism region, which stretches from La Pocatière to La Mitis, the tourism industry comprises 500 businesses and nearly 6,000 jobs, and draws 1.2 million visitors and economic benefits of $438 million annually, which is quite significant for this region.
Tourism is one of Canada’s fastest-growing sectors, contributing $50.8 billion to Canada’s gross domestic product, or 1.8% of total GDP. The tourism sector supports more than 265,000 businesses in 5,000 communities across the country. One in ten workers in Canada is supported by the tourism industry.
Tourism also plays a crucial role in regional economic diversification. In many communities, particularly those historically dependent on natural resources, tourism offers a sustainable and resilient alternative. It helps stabilize the local economy, reduce dependence on a single sector and attract new investment.
For many municipalities, tourism is a strategic lever for maintaining local services, funding infrastructure and retaining young talent.
However, the importance of tourism can’t be measured solely in economic terms. Its cultural and social impacts are just as essential. Tourism is a powerful tool for showcasing our heritage, whether historical, natural or intangible. It encourages the conservation of heritage sites, iconic landscapes, local traditions and traditional knowledge.
In many regions, festivals, cultural events and artistic initiatives largely owe their existence to tourism. These activities strengthen a sense of belonging, foster intergenerational transmission and contribute to the cultural vitality of communities. When this happens, tourism becomes a catalyst for creativity and for identity expression.
It is also a potent tool for intercultural dialogue. By welcoming visitors, we open a window into our way of life, our values and our history. It also offers an opportunity to learn from others, broaden our outlook and cultivate mutual understanding.
In a world marked by division, tourism can play a subtle but vital role in building bridges between peoples.
For Indigenous communities, tourism represents a unique opportunity to share their cultures, their stories and their understanding of the land through an approach rooted in respect, self-determination and reconciliation. When properly managed and led by the communities themselves, Indigenous tourism contributes to economic self-sufficiency while promoting greater recognition of their fundamental contribution to Canadian identity.
However, we must remember that tourism development must be carried out in a responsible and sustainable manner. Protecting the environment, managing visitor flow, respecting local communities and addressing job insecurity are key issues. Well‑planned tourism can support the green transition by promoting local and nature-based tourism, public transport and eco-friendly practices.
I wanted to highlight a fine example of collaboration in the Lower St. Lawrence, where various organizations and government departments have joined forces with the Wolastoqiyik Wahsipekuk Nation, formerly the Maliseet of Viger First Nation, to build a land-based marine mammal observation site in Gros-Cacouna.
