With the federal election (Oct. 19) less than six weeks away, the Hotel Association of Canada (HAC) is asking its members to contact candidates in their riding to advise them of the critical importance of tourism and help educate them on the labour shortage problem Canada is facing.

HAC has created a toolkit for members to include the names of all candidates in their riding, as well as the number of tourism businesses and jobs.

For many years HAC members have been contacting sitting Members of Parliament (MPs) to let them know about the importance of the tourism industry, and in particular, the lodging industry in Canada. In these meetings, MPs have often been pleasantly surprised to learn of the contribution to the local economy made by the lodging industry.

Members are being asked to contact their candidates and request a meeting or, at a minimum, sending them an e-mail with the organization’s concerns.