Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has defended the recent extension of COVID-19 border restrictions, saying the decision is “anchored in science” as travel and tourism officials gather in Ottawa to seek relief.
Trudeau said Canada is still in the midst of a pandemic, and lifting restrictions – such as requiring foreign tourists to show evidence of vaccination against COVID-19 on entry – could soon lead to worse results for the tourism sector.
“The reality is that no matter how much people want to pretend we’re not, we’re still in a pandemic. “There are Canadians who die every day because of COVID-19,” he told reporters on Wednesday.
“I know people are eager to get back to the things we love, but what will also do more harm to our tourism industry is if we get a new wave.
Industry groups held a press conference later Wednesday, calling on the federal government to alleviate travel pain, such as long queues and delays, in time for the summer travel season.
“We did our part to protect the Canadians, and now it’s finally our turn to recover. “The trip is back in revenge and we can’t be happier, but the experience of passengers at our Canadian airports is a challenge,” said Susie Greenol, president and CEO of the Canadian Hotel Association.
Interim President of the Canadian Airport Council Monet Pascher said that while the organization welcomed the government’s steps to increase the staffing of the Canadian Air Security Authority (CATSA) and the Canadian Border Services Agency (CBSA), more needs to be done.
“We call on the federal government to take three concrete actions in the short term to immediately ease the pressure on the system. These include: removing mandatory on-site tests from Canadian airports, removing duplicate health inspection issues from the Public Health Agency of Canada at government customs checkpoints and at the international border, and removing vaccination mandates for CATSA workers and the CBSA, ”she said.
On Tuesday, the Public Health Agency of Canada announced that the border rules will be extended until at least June 30.
Foreign tourists will continue to be required to provide proof that they are fully vaccinated, and unvaccinated Canadians or permanent residents must also show proof of a COVID-19 molecular test performed before entering Canada and quarantined for 14 days.
All travelers coming to Canada, regardless of nationality, must also continue to provide their health information through the ArriveCAN app before entering.
Randomized testing for fully vaccinated also remains valid.
The extension of the border rules came a day after Parliament rejected a Conservative proposal to return to pre-pandemic travel guidelines.
In response, conservative transport critic Melissa Lanzman, who proposed the proposal, wrote on Twitter that “the government has not yet shared any justification for the outdated and extraordinary restrictions.”
Liberal MP Nate Erskine-Smith reiterated a similar view Tuesday, expressing concern about the mandate for two-dose vaccination to travel in and out of Canada without effective accommodation for those who have not been granted exemption.
“Nothing about the reassessment of travel measures is transparent. It is not clear what Dr. Tam’s recommendations are and no adequate justification has been provided for extending the exclusive two-dose mandate, “he tweeted.
“The excuses for each term are to increase the percentages and reduce the risk of surrender. But the current mandate has exhausted its usefulness in reaching new people, and the impact of two doses on the risk of transmission is too low (especially given alternative testing options). “
He also called airport delays “unacceptable” and a good reason to lift restrictions if they no longer provide a public good.
Transport Minister Omar Algabra says the main source of delays is the “extreme peaks and valleys” of current travel models.
“[Some airlines]”They haven’t returned all the flight schedules yet, but there are more customers … so there are extreme peaks we’re looking for and we have to deal with them,” he said on Wednesday.
Pascher noted that in May, Canada’s hub airports saw 70% of passenger traffic levels before the pandemic, and they currently handle an average of 56,000 international passengers a day, which is expected to rise to 80,000 a day this summer.
“The challenge is to manage this level of trafficking with residual, inherited public health protocols that are still in force at our international border,” Pascher said.
With a file from Tom Yun from CTVNews.ca
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