Minister of Parks, Culture and Sport Gene Makowsky is disappointed that Saskatchewan is not receiving the same financial support for tourism during COVID-19 like Eastern Canada provinces.
This comes after the federal government announced over $46 million to support Quebec’s and Atlantic Canada’s tourism industries, however he believes the same should be done for the rest of Canada.
In a letter sent to Federal Minister of Economic Development Melanie Joly on Wednesday, Makowsky said it’s “outrageous” that she is acknowledging the damages to tourism across Canada, yet support has been unequal.
“I don’t think a tour operator in Saskatchewan is less hurt than in Quebec. So we want to stand up in Saskatchewan for our tourism operators,” shared Makowsky on Thursday at the legislature in Regina.
While tourism across 🇨🇦 has been hit hard due to #COVID19 the federal govt is providing >$46M in support only to Quebec’s & Atlantic Canada’s tourism industries
Parks, Culture & Sport Minister Gene Makowsky called on the Fed govt to ensure all regions receive equitable support. pic.twitter.com/NqTyCLUtSi
— Scott Moe (@PremierScottMoe) June 25, 2020
He believes it should be an equitable program based on a metric of population.
“In Saskatchewan, we’ve received $1.5 million. To get similar treatment like what Quebec received, we’d like to get $4.5 million. We’d like to see something more equitable.”
More than 71,000 people were employed in Saskatchewan’s tourism sector last year.
