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 Read more
Justin Trudeau
There are more signs today that the Justin Trudeau government is set to drop vaccine mandates and put an end to the unpopular ArriveCAN app, perhaps within the next two weeks. The mask mandate for flights within Canada also appears up for debate. Writing in the Toronto Sun today, columnist Brian Lilley reports that “The ArriveCan app may no longer be mandatory and other remaining travel requirements and restrictions for air travel in Canada could soon be removed. If all goes well, masking could even be made optional within the next few weeks.” Lilley said he’s had conversations with senior Read more
The Toronto Star is reporting that the Justin Trudeau government may end Canada’s border vaccine mandate, and could scrap the heavily criticized ArriveCAN app. Star columnist Althia Raj reports that Ottawa is “considering turning the page on pandemic-era restrictions by ending the COVID-19 vaccination mandate at the border and scrapping random testing requirements.” Raj said the Trudeau cabinet hasn’t made a final decision, “but several sources confirmed ministers will soon weigh in on a move that could also spell the end of the unpopular ArriveCAN app.” Ending the vaccine mandate would allow visitors to flow freely into Canada, something that Read more
The Canadian Minister of Transport, Omar Alghabra, will have to testify about Canada’s continuing airport congestion and other travel problems in the next ten days or so. The House of Commons Transport Committee held an emergency meeting on Monday to debate Conservative transport critic Melissa Lantsman’s request to have the minister, a key member of the Justin Trudeau Cabinet, appear “for no fewer than two hours and answer questions about flight delays and cancellations at Toronto Pearson and other Canadian airports. The Lantsman motion was approved unanimously. Alghabra also has been asked to talk about the government’s unpopular ArriveCAN app, Read more
Air Transat is getting a $150 million assistance package from the Trudeau government. Transat A.T. Inc. announced today that it has reached an agreement with Canada Enterprise Emergency Funding Corporation (“CEEFC”), a federal Crown corporation, to obtain $100 million in added financing, as well as $50 million in credit. “In this final LEEFF (Large Employer Emergency Financing Facility) loan, Transat will receive up to $150 million to protect Canadian jobs and ensure operations can continue, despite the company’s ongoing capital operating challenges as a result of the pandemic,” the government said in a press released. “The amount consists of $100 Read more
