Will Canada bring in mandatory on-arrival testing for travellers? Prime Minister Justin Trudeau appeared to raise the possibility today in a brief scrum with reporters. Speaking prior to a Cabinet meeting in Ottawa, Trudeau said his government is watching the Omicron variant “very, very closely.” “We know that even though Canada has very strong border measures now — we need vaccinations to come to Canada, we need pre-departure tests, we need testing on arrival — there may be more we need to do and we’ll be looking at it very carefully,” Trudeau said. It wasn’t immediately clear if Trudeau was Read more
Justin Trudeau
A major new poll finds that two-thirds of Canadians want the Trudeau government to ditch PCR testing at the border. A new study from the non-profit Angus Reid Institute finds Canadians divided about how to handle border testing, but largely ready to move past molecular tests such as the PCR. A full 66% of Canadians say that either no tests should be required for fully vaccinated travellers (27%) or that Canada should switch from PCR tests to rapid antigen tests (39%). Twenty five per cent of Canadians said they would keep the requirement now in place for PCR or molecular Read more
Today’s announcement that Canadians who take trips to the U.S. for less than 72 hours no longer need a COVID test to return home doesn’t help Canada’s battered tourism sector, critics say. The Canadian Travel and Tourism Roundtable said it acknowledges today’s announcement by the Canadian government removing the pre-departure PCR testing requirement (indeed, all testing requirements) for Canadians returning from the United States for trips less than 72 hours. The PCR test policy, however, remains in effect for Canadians who leave the country for more than 72 hours. Critics have noted that the tests are prohibitively expensive, sometimes more Read more
Canadian taxpayers are saving themselves a huge chunk of money. In another sign of the travel recovery in Canada, Air Canada has announced that due to its improved liquidity position and ongoing recovery from the pandemic, it is withdrawing from further government of Canada financial support. The support package, announced in April 2021, provided the carrier access to interest-bearing loans of $5.375 billion through several separate credit facilities. To date, Air Canada has only accessed the facility solely dedicated to refunding customers’ non-refundable tickets, while all other remaining facilities totaling $3.975 billion that were offered by the Justin Trudeau government Read more
Fully vaccinated Canadians taking short trips out of the country will no longer be required to take COVID-19 tests before returning home, multiple sources report. Both the Toronto Star and the Globe and Mail report that the government will introduce a rule waiving the need for tests for anyone who’s outside of Canada less than 72 hours. PCR tests, also known as molecular tests, would still be required for trips longer than 72 hours. Those tests can cost $200 or more in the U.S. The CBC said the change likely will be made near the end of the month, just Read more
