Hon. Rodger Cuzner: Thank you, Your Honour, and my hearty colleagues who have hung in there this evening. I know it has been an informative, emotional, intense and long day. I know the hour is late. On this particular piece, I would like to put some words on the record. Thank you for your attention.
Honourable senators, I rise today to speak to Senator Sorenson’s inquiry into the nation-building value of tourism. Coming from Nova Scotia, a province that relies heavily on the tourism industry, I commend Senator Sorensen on her initiative.
I would like to frame my comments today by referencing two iconic Nova Scotia figures who were both born in Scotland but adopted Nova Scotia as their home. They happen to be my province’s most famous Alexanders. Of course, I am referring to Alexander Graham Bell, who advanced so much of his groundbreaking work on the telephone, hydrofoils and aeronautics in Baddeck, Cape Breton, on the Bras d’Or Lake.
The other Alexander was Alexander Keith, who set up his shop in Halifax and was the brewer of Alexander Keith’s India Pale Ale.
Alexander Graham Bell once stated:
I have travelled around the globe. I have seen the Canadian and American Rockies, the Andes, the Alps and the Highlands of Scotland, but for simple beauty, Cape Breton outrivals them all!
Alexander Keith’s most famous quote complimented Graham Bell’s, as he once said, “Those who like it, like it a lot.” Now, he may have, in fact, been referring to his beer, but there’s no denying that a cold Keith’s while visiting Canada’s ocean playground is a combination that millions of visitors have, indeed, liked a lot.
Senators, Nova Scotia’s tourism gifts are so bountiful I will have to restrict my comments to Cape Breton, as I know there are others in this chamber who can speak to the wonders of our mainland.
Blessed with 1,800 kilometres of majestic coastline, dotted with sandy beaches and rugged shores, Cape Breton Island is indeed Nova Scotia’s masterpiece.
The iconic Cabot Trail features 300 kilometres of mountain-hugging and winding roads with only a few feet between you and the seaside cliffs, revealing a spectacular ocean scape on one side and the richness of the Cape Breton Highlands National Park on the other.
National Geographic recognized the Cabot Trail as a must-see place. It was picked as the best scenic drive in Canada by USA Today’s reader’s poll.
Condé Nast Traveler picked it as the number one island to visit in North America. Let me repeat that for Senators Robinson, Downe, Francis and McAdam: the number one island to visit in North America.
As stated in Bell’s famous quote, the beauty of our island is breathtaking. The glimmering waters of the Bras d’Or Lake, a UNESCO biosphere reserve, stretching 100 kilometres in length, 50 kilometres across, with depths of 1,000 feet in many places.
The lakes have sustained Mi’kmaw communities for generations, until the arrival of the Europeans. My friend and colleague Senator Francis has informed me that the Europeans were the original tourists to Cape Breton.
For example, Eskasoni First Nation on the shores of the Bras d’Or is the largest Mi’kmaq community in Atlantic Canada with some 4,500 community members. It is a cultural, educational and business hub. It is the home of The Goat Island Cultural Journey Trail, which provides a powerful backdrop to the authentic and powerful voice of the island’s Mi’kmaq heritage.
In harmony with the shores of the Bras d’Or, the trail winds its way along the lake with beautiful scenery and provides:
A true acknowledgement of the life of the Mi’kmaq, historically and modern day, Goat Island invites visitors to share in a unique story while preserving its First People’s culture.
But as beautiful as Cape Breton’s landscapes and coastal vistas are, when people visit our island, they want to engage.
The Hon. the Speaker: Senator Cuzner, I was looking at the clock and I wanted to mention: Honourable senators, it is now seven o’clock. Pursuant to rule 3-3(1), I am obliged to leave the chair until eight o’clock, when we will resume, unless it is your wish, honourable senators, to not see the clock.
Is it agreed to not see the clock?
Hon. Senators: Agreed.
The Hon. the Speaker: So ordered.
Senator Cuzner: The generosity of this group, Your Honour.
Senator Colin Deacon, button your shirt; your heart is going to fall out. That is so kind for a mainlander to give way to a Cape Bretoner.
I’ll be brief. We want to talk about things to do. Everybody’s favourite crocodile hunter Paul Hogan — Crocodile Dundee — in his role as Australia’s tourism ambassador once said that when your friends come over for a visit, they don’t come to admire the furniture. They want to do something.
And there is so much to do in Cape Breton. The island is blessed with numerous incredible historic sites like the Fortress of Louisbourg, St. Peters Canal and, of course, Cape Breton Highlands National Park where hikers can climb the Skyline Trail to the highest point in the province.
Our Celtic music and culture are celebrated each fall with the Celtic Colours International Festival, where much-loved locals like Natalie MacMaster and Ashley MacIsaac share the stage with musicians from around the world such as The Chieftains and Béla Fleck.
There are Acadian festivals such as the Festival de l’Escaouette and the Festival acadien de Petit-de-Grat.
There are Mi’kmaq cultural events as well, such as Wi’kipaltimk — I tried my best to pronounce it; my coach helped me through that — which is a three-day gathering of song, dance and Mi’kmaq cuisine and arts.
There is the Cape Breton Miners Museum where you can travel back in time, travelling through an actual underground subsea mine, which stretches under the Atlantic Ocean, with stories told by a former miner as your guide.
The Fortress of Louisbourg National Historic Site, a reconstructed historic property dating back to the 18th century, is a jewel in the crown of our national parks system. The park welcomes almost 200,000 visitors per year.
Senators, tourism is an integral part of the economy of Cape Breton and has been a major economic driver since the closure of the coal and steel industries several decades ago. Though a major blow, that development had a very important effect on the people of the island. It was a wake-up call and led to a hard look inward to come up with solutions to fill that gap.
The solution was all around us: It was the natural beauty of the island and the many distinct cultures of people who lived there. That would form the basis of a living, breathing tourism industry, which has helped generate economic growth and continues to grow each year.
A large part of why tourists had things to do is because the tourism sector in Cape Breton has grown and evolved over the past 20 years with key investments in infrastructure and targeted partnerships with government and the private sector.
I would like to cite two specific examples, the first being the growth of the cruise ship sector. I have a friend who owns a bar in downtown Sydney overlooking the harbour. He says the single best day for sales each year is typically New Year’s Eve, but he also says every time a cruise ship docks at Sydney Harbour, it is like another New Year’s Eve. Passengers want to sample the local fare, try local beers and food and listen to the local entertainment.
In 2017, the federal government, the provincial government and the Cape Breton Regional Municipality contributed $6.7 million each to construct a second marine berth, capable of handling additional traffic and accommodating the world’s largest cruise ships, including the Queen Mary 2.
The increase in traffic and revenues has been incredible. In 2025, the port welcomed 111 cruise ships carrying some 213,000 passengers, which was a record for the number of people who visited via cruise ship. As you can imagine, the economic impacts were extremely beneficial to the local economy. As my friend would say, that was equivalent to 111 New Year’s Eves.
But let me close by sharing the story of a tourism investment project that I would hold up as the greatest success in regional economic development in this country. It was driven by the community, supported by all levels of government and embraced by the private sector. Cabot Cliffs and Cabot Links golf courses were the dream of an ambitious group of community advocates in the late 1990s and the early 2000s. With the support of both the federal and provincial governments and an investment by Toronto entrepreneur Ben Cowan-Dewar and his business partner Mike Keiser, a long-abandoned mine site located between the town of Inverness and the Gulf of St. Lawrence, which lay unremediated for 50 years, was transformed into two of the top-ranked golf courses — not in the province and not in the country, but in the world.
Buoyed by a $3.5-million loan from the Cape Breton Growth Fund, which was an investment fund developed in the wake of the closure of the Cape Breton Development Corporation — a loan that was repaid in full well before its due date — the property established itself as a destination for serious international golf enthusiasts from around the globe.
Cabot’s modest business plan, presented in 2005, boasted only 12 year-round jobs and 48 seasonal positions once fully operational. The incredible success realized to date has seen Cabot issue 600 T4 slips in 2024.
Senators, it’s an amazing economic development story. A community that bled population since its coal mines ceased operations in the 1950s was now seeing young people return to their roots in Inverness County as nurses, teachers and various other professionals.
In 2001, the unemployment rate in the eastern region of Nova Scotia was 18.5%, with Inverness proper close to 22%. Today’s current unemployment rate for the eastern region is 10%, with Inverness hovering around 5%. New businesses have popped up across Inverness County. Child care has become one of the challenges, along with housing. The municipality has seen its tax base expand exponentially.
With regard to the aesthetics of the Inverness community, the fiscal evolution it has experienced, the growth in population and the recognition it has received internationally, it is difficult not to notice the immense pride in community that has blossomed. When international icons like Jerry Seinfeld, Warren Buffett, Larry David, Jennifer Aniston and Sidney Crosby all spend time in town and rave about it, the greatest challenge now becomes remaining humble.
Colleagues, there is no denying tourism contributes considerably to a community physically, emotionally and financially. When Canadians explore Canada, we build a nation.
I hope you all come to Cape Breton in the future. It is truly a wonderful place to come and enjoy the hospitality, the beauty and the history of our island.
For staying here tonight, you’ll be welcomed at 1319 Hillside Road, Mira, as my guest on your first night. Thank you very much.