Canadian tourism bureaucrats paid themselves big bonuses during the COVID pandemic despite the collapse of the tourism industry. 

Canadian Tourism Commission execs paid themselves five-figure bonuses during the COVID-19 pandemic despite the collapse of their industry, new reporting by Blacklock’s Reporter show. 

Up to 87% of employees on payroll of the agency received bonuses between 2020 and 2021, for a total of $1.2 million in bonuses while average Canadians struggled with the pandemic and rampant inflation. 

“Among its executives the average bonus was $32,652 in 2020”, federal director of the Taxpayers Federation said in a statement. 

According to the government’s own data, the tourism industry shed 197,000 jobs from 2020 to 2021 and lost 45% of its revenues, a total of nearly $47 billion. 

Experts say the Trudeau government’s border restrictions, mandates and ArriveCan deeply affected Canada’s tourism industry. Canada is still one of the only industrialized countries to fully ban unvaccinated travelers, even with a negative test or proof of immunity.