Mandatory vaccination rules for Canadians travelling domestically on airplanes and trains are no longer in effect.
As today, June 20, Canadians can board a plane in Canada and not have to show proof of vaccination. Departing international passengers also can skip the vaccination proof display.
But foreign travellers still need to show proof of vaccination to enter Canada, while unvaccinated Canadians returning home are still be required to quarantine. Depending on what destination they’re visiting, Canadians also might need proof of vaccination to enter another country.
Other entry requirements are staying in place, including the requirement to fill out the government’s ArriveCAN app. Masks are still required on airplanes, large ships, and trains, officials said.
As well, “due to the unique nature of cruise ship travel,” the vaccination requirements for passengers and crew of cruise ships are still in effect.
The government’s said it changed the rules, which have been in effect since October 30, 2021, to help Canada’s tourism industry and to help relieve airport crowding, which has been a huge issue the past few weeks.
Canadian travel and tourism officials have repeatedly called for an end to vaccine requirements as a way to help ease airport congestion, which has plagued big city airports such as Toronto Pearson.
The Canadian Travel and Tourism Roundtable said the changes that began today are nice but not enough. The roundtable is calling on the Trudeau government to continue following the science and lift all remaining COVID-19 restrictions governing the sector to streamline further and ease passenger experience
Frederic Dimanche, director of the Ted Rogers School of Hospitality and Tourism Management at Ryerson University in Toronto, said the change will “help increase traveller confidence and intentions to travel.:
People are eager to travel and this measure, well timed at the beginning of summer, should contribute to increased demand. However, international travellers are still required to show proof of vaccination, so this remains a barrier for international travellers.”
While the news is generally good for tourism, Dimanche said he’s worried an overworked industry might not be ready for an increased demand.
“The labour gap now remains the major issue the industry is facing, and increased demand will put even more pressure on under-staffed airports (security, immigration, airline staff) as well as on the sector as a whole. Service quality will continue to suffer as a result… and this may affect the reputation of our airports and destinations” he said.
Mayors in Canadian border cities last week said the federal goverment’s ArriveCAN app is discouraging American visitors from coming into the country. They’re asking Prime Minister Justin Trudeau to scrap the program.
“What’s happening right now is Americans are showing up in the minivan with their family at the border with no knowledge of the ArriveCAN app,” Niagara Falls Mayor Jim Diodati said. “There’s a lineup of cars behind them. They can’t get into the country.”
