CAFE continues to work hard to advocate for the interests of the fair and exhibition industry and today we're once again asking for your help. Based on feedback within our meetings with various federal Members of Parliament and department officials, we have put together a targeted request to the federal government for funds to help our industry remain solvent until we can generate revenue again. We are calling on the federal government to provide $49 million to support the continuity of 733 fairs, exhibitions and agricultural societies to May 2021. In addition, we are requesting $25 million for the top 10 largest exhibitions in Canada who, because of their size, require additional support. Fundamentally, this funding is to support the continuity of non-profit organizations in the domestic tourism sector because:
As non-profit organizations, the current federal programs are generally not available to us
With more than 40,000 volunteers/year running our organizations, wage subsidies offer limited support
Our organizations rely on funding from May to October by running events that consists of large gatherings to carry us through to the next spring. As a result of the cancellation of the majority of our events due to restrictions on mass gatherings, we do not have the funds to remain solvent through to May 2021.
Our organizations are living heritage and tourism organizations that are critical supports for local and rural economies
The full letter and backgrounder are available here:
Letter to Government
Backgrounder
Now, we need your help.
The fate of our industry is in your hands. We know that the more people who call and email their Member of Parliament (MP) asking for support for fairs and exhibitions, the better the chance that we will see this support. So please follow the instructions below to reach out to your MP. Even if this is the second time you are reaching out to your MP, we encourage you to do so, to reiterate your original message and highlight that we have a specific ask put forward.
The best thing we can do is show strength in numbers so please send your own letter and encourage colleagues, friends and family to do the same. We also encourage you to share our letter and backgrounder with your MP. We at CAFE continue to build partnerships and find ways to work together with related industries as well to strengthen our position. We are also focusing on the future of the industry and how we can support recovery. Thank you for your time and know we are working hard to advocate for you! If you have any suggestions or questions, please do not hesitate to reach out. We encourage you to subscribe to our newsletter here if you aren't already in order to continue to receive the latest news and updates.