Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has agreed to end mandatory vaccines and random testing of travellers at the border, as well as making the controversial ArriveCAN optional. But the mask mandate could remain in place for now.
The CBC this afternoon quoted a senior government source as saying the agrees with his Cabinet, which the Toronto Star said had voted unanimously to make the changes.
CTV News and the Toronto Star both said two government sources told them the same thing.
The network said an announcement was likely on Monday, but that Cabinet was still debating the mask mandate as of Thursday afternoon (Sept. 22).
The current COVID-19 Emergency Order-in-Council put in place by Ottawa was set to expire on Sept. 30.
The move will be welcomed by the Canadian tourism and travel industry with open arms. Border city mayors, airlines, and others who rely on foreign visitors to Canada have repeatedly argued that the travel rules, and the ArriveCAN app, strongly discouraged travellers from visiting Canada.
One issue that isn’t clear is whether the U.S. is ready to change its rules. Currently, non-residents of the States have to show proof of full vaccination to enter the country. Biden has been silent on the situation, but was quoted recently as saying that the COVID-19 pandemic is “over.”
“I am calling on both Canada and the United States to drop all remaining restrictions on Northern Border travel,” said U.S. Congresswoman Elise Stefanik of New York state. “President Joe Biden admitted this week that the pandemic is over, and it is past time for his Northern Border policies to reflect that.”
In an interview with CTV News a few days ago, federal tourism minister Randy Boissonnault said he wants to be sure the border is as “unsticky” as possible, which would make it easier for visitors to enter the country and would be a boon for Canada’s travel industry.
“What I can say (is) that my colleagues and I are going to make sure that we do the right thing to boost the economy but also keep Canadians safe and make sure that we’re moving on in this post-acute COVID phase,” the minister said.
