Just when you thought it was safe to go back to the airport… Canadians managed to get through a winter marred by travel snafus, including winter storms, overcrowded airports and cancelled flights. But now comes a potential spring double whammy. Some 155,000 federal works are on strike today (April 20). Talks are back on between the Public Service Alliance of Canada and the Trudeau government, but for now Canada Revenue Agency workers are not at their desks, and Canadian passport offices are closed. The CBC reports that passport applications and renewals “are on hold and limited to those in humanitarian Read more
Canadian government
A prominent Canadian tourism official says news that Canada will allow more student workers into the country is a big boost for the hospitality industry. Ottawa on Thursday launched the 2023 International Experience Canada (IEC) Program with a 20% increase in the number of applicants who can apply. Applicants will be able to apply as of January 9, 2023. IEC is a reciprocal program that allows Canadian and international youth to work and travel in each other’s countries. This increase means that nearly 90,000 candidates will be able to work and travel in Canada, including Francophone youth, which will help Read more
An influential international airline travel group has again called on the Canadian government to urgently discontinue its COVID-19 related travel restrictions. “These are now out of step with the global trend of lifting travel restrictions and are partly responsible for the ongoing delays and disruption affecting air travelers across Canada,” the International Air Transport Association (IATA) said in a statement. “Canada has become a total outlier in managing COVID-19 and travel,” said Peter Cerda, IATA’s Regional Vice President for the Americas. “Though governments across the globe are rolling back restrictions, the Government of Canada is reinstating them.” IATA says the Read more
Seven in ten Canadians say airport delays across the country are a “national embarrassment,” while nearly 60% say they’re not travelling until the situation improves, says a new Ipsos poll. The embarrassment is bad for Canada’s image, but the idea that six in ten Canadians are avoiding travel right now is troublesome for a Canadian tourism and travel industry that’s just beginning to get back on its feet following a two-year-plus pandemic. The poll was conducted exclusively for Global News. “The poll definitely suggests there’s a lot of anger right now and uncertainty around travel,” Gregory Jack, vice-president of Ipsos Read more
The Trudeau government says the passport situation is improving, but there’s still work to do. “Canadians deserve access to timely, efficient, and transparent passport delivery services,” said Karina Gould, federal minister for Families, Children and Social Development. “We’re continuing to tackle big challenges in the passport program, and as the summer progresses, thanks to the hard work of Service Canada staff, we continue to see improvements in service delivery. “We are starting to put a dent in the backlog,” Gould said. “Last week, the number of passports issued was higher than at any point since before the pandemic, at 54,312. Read more
