Update: Federal government announces financial support for tourism sector

Update: For those of you who have recently applied for the Tourism and Hospitality Recovery Program, the federal government is advising that recent applicants may have been affected by an error in the calculation spreadsheet for wage and hiring support, which erroneously showed they were ineligible for the THRP when they may have been eligible. Visit the federal Tourism and Hospitality Recovery Program page for the latest information.

Ottawa – The federal government has announced up to $67 million in funding to support Canada’s tourism and hospitality sector through the Sectoral Initiatives Program.

Workers and businesses in the tourism and hospitality sector have been hit hard by the COVID-19 pandemic, the Ministry of Employment, Workforce Development and Disability Inclusion said in a news release, before outlining a plan to support hard-hit sectors, help businesses adapt and thrive, and give Canadians the skills they need to find good jobs as our economy continues to recover.

This funding supports 24 projects that will help employers and industry stakeholders in the tourism and hospitality sector to attract and retain skilled workers, build capacity through training and resources, and remove barriers for groups – including women, youth, Indigenous peoples, newcomers, persons with disabilities and LGBTQ2 Canadians – that continue to be under-represented in the labour market. Projects will also provide training opportunities to workers who have been displaced by the COVID-19 pandemic and work to stimulate the economy in Indigenous communities.

Budget 2021 committed $1.78 billion over three years through several new initiatives that support the skills development and training of workers, and provide incentives for employers to hire and retain them. The government expects these measures to help create almost 500,000 new job and training opportunities for workers over the coming years.

For more information on the Sectoral Initiatives Program, visit canada.ca.