We Canadians can be docile at times. But we don’t like getting pushed around by Uncle Sam, or any other country.
Which is why it’s a very bad idea for a group of U.S. Congress members to be sending “please open your border” notes to the Canadian government.
Global News has this report:
A bipartisan group of 29 federal lawmakers led by New York representatives Brian Higgins and Elise Stefanik sent a letter to Public Safety Minister Bill Blair and Acting Homeland Security Secretary Chad Wolf late last week, urging both countries to “immediately craft a comprehensive framework for phased reopening of the border.”
The group also calls for interim measures to ease restrictions on family members and property owners, particularly those with property only accessible through cross-border travel, and “restore the social bond that unites our two nations.”
The Canada-U.S. border was shut down to all but essential travel, including transportation of goods and work-related travel, on March 21. The closure has been extended by 30-day periods after assessments of the COVID-19 pandemic in both countries, pushing the deadline most recently to July 21.
Ontario Premier Doug Ford on Friday said he’s in no hurry to open the border, and nearly everyone I deal with on a regular basis seems to agree. Too many parts of the U.S. are a godawful mess for the virus right now, including Florida, which saw a record number of cases the other day.
CNN reports only five of the 50 states recorded a decrease in cases on Friday of at least 10%, and that’s astonishing when you consider how well Canada has done.
The network says US set a record for the highest single day of new cases for the second time this week with 66,627 cases on Friday.
All of Canada had just 322 cases on Friday. Canada is only one-tenth the size of the U.S. in terms of population, but 322 is a mere fraction of the U.S. caseload.
Canadians are rightly fearful of opening the U.S. border. And no amount of “please, sir” letters from elected American officials is going to help. If anything, I think it would have the opposite effect.
We Canadians can live with being ignored by the U.S. We DO live with that, almost all the time. But when Americans appear to interfere with our government and start telling us what to do, our placid natures often go right out the window.
Any movement towards a more open border with the U.S. has to come from within Canada. Pure and simple.
Is Hawai’i Backtracking on Proposed Opening Date?
A Hawaiian luau at the Westin Maui on Kaanapali Beach is a great way to spend the evening. It’s an outstanding resort with family-friendly pools and waterslides.
KHON2 Honolulu has this report:
Lieutenant Governor Josh Green says the governor will likely delay the reopening of tourism, which is currently scheduled for August 1. Although the governor has yet to make the announcement.
The county mayors have already expressed that it would be safer to do so. Some experts agree that Hawaii is not ready, but some economists say it’s time for everyone to take personal responsibility regarding COVID safety measures and let tourists return to the islands.
After marathon meetings with the mayors and health officials, Gov. David Ige will likely make the official announcement after the weekend. That’s according to the lieutenant governor, who says the August 1 date will be pushed back.
“The governor has to make this decision. The best approach is to delay so that we’re safer, so we can get control of the virus with a date certain. And then two weeks before that, give an update of where we are right now,” said Green.
Hawai’i is allowing Hawai’ians to go from one island to another without quaurantine, but anyone arriving from outside the state is required to self-isolate for 14 days.
