Question Period Note: Indigenous Tourism Association of Canada’s Operational Challenges (ITAC)

N.A.

• Indigenous Services Canada (ISC) is aware of the operational challenges recently announced by the Indigenous Tourism Association of Canada and acknowledges the difficult circumstances the Association is currently facing.
• The Association plays an important role in supporting the Indigenous tourism industry and helps create opportunities for Indigenous tourism across Canada.
• At this time, ISC is unable to provide bridge funding or any additional funding beyond what has already been committed.

The Indigenous Tourism Association of Canada is a national not-for-profit organization that provides economic development advisory services, tourism conferences, capacity development training and workshops, industry research, and information for Indigenous tourism operators and communities throughout Canada.
Since 2016, ISC provided core and project-based funding directly to the Indigenous Tourism Association of Canada. This time-limited funding concluded at the end of the fiscal year 2025-2026.
In Summer 2025, the Association publicly announced a seven-year funding commitment of about $35 million annually with foreign investors through a UK-based organization. In Spring 2026, the Association publicly confirmed that funding from foreign investors has not yet been received. As a result, the Association has had to lay off staff and suspend all programs and services until further notice. Moreover, recent news reports have claimed that the Association has not paid some of the recipients from ISED’s Indigenous Tourism Fund – Micro and Small Business Stream.

If pressed on the Association’s staff reductions and pausing of programs and services
• While ISC has provided funding to the Indigenous Tourism Association of Canada, the Association is an independent non-profit that makes its own decisions regarding staffing and operations. Questions about staffing and operational decisions should be directed to the Association. If pressed on future supports to the Association
• ISC is not currently in a position to provide additional funding beyond what has already been committed.
• Indigenous businesses and organizations can continue to access other federal programs that support entrepreneurship, tourism development, and economic growth.
• Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada (ISED) is the federal lead for tourism in Canada. ISC supports Indigenous economic development by providing targeted programs, partnerships, and connections with other federal departments. Organizations can also reach out to ISED for broader tourism-related questions or programs. If pressed on how ISC has supported Indigenous tourism
• Since 2016, ISC has provided the Indigenous Tourism Association of Canada with $41.5 million for operational and project-based funding to support and grow the Indigenous tourism industry. This time-limited funding concluded at the end of the fiscal year 2025-2026.
• ISC has also provided $26.6 million in funding to support regional Indigenous tourism organizations through the Strategic Partnerships Initiative in British Columbia, Alberta, Quebec and the Atlantic region. This funding was also time-limited and concluded at the end of the 2025–2026 fiscal year. If pressed on oversight of funding and unpaid recipients
• ISC is aware of recent claims regarding unpaid recipients under Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada (ISED)’s Indigenous Tourism Fund – Micro and Small Business Stream, administered by the Indigenous Tourism Association of Canada.
• Questions related to these claims should be directed to ISED, who is the federal lead for the Indigenous Tourism Fund. If pressed on whether Indigenous tourism is still a government priority
• Indigenous tourism remains an important sector for economic development and community growth in many Indigenous communities across Canada.
• While Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada is the federal lead for tourism, ISC continues to support Indigenous communities through broader investments that can help enable tourism-related opportunities, including community infrastructure and economic development capacity.