As the heads of state of Canada, the U.S. and Mexico met in Washington, members of the Canadian Travel & Tourism Roundtable used the occasion to push for a streamlining of cross-border travel rules and the removal of Canada's expensive PCR test requirement.
"Removing the mandatory pre-departure PCR test requirement for fully vaccinated travellers coming into Canada is critical for a strong economic recovery in North America," the group said in a statement.
Quoting unnamed government officials, the Globe and Mail reports that the Canadian government will soon remove the current pre-departure PCR testing requirements for fully vaccinated Canadians, but only for trips lasting a maximum 72 hours. The newspaper says the new rules will take effect November 30.
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has hinted at the change, without confirming it. "We are looking at making steps to loosen up requirements while at the same time keeping Canadians safe. We will have an announcement to make in the coming days," Trudeau told reporters after his visit to Capitol Hill.
While it could be seen as a sign of progress, the 72-hour trip maximum to avoid a PCR test does little to help Canada's beleaguered outbound travel industry. With the peak winter travel season approaching, there are fears that the high cost and inconvenience of PCR testing will stall the industry's recovery.
Samantha Gillingham, a BDM for Club Med, used TravelPulse Canada's Facebook page to express her outrage at the proposed change.
"This is a slap in the face. 72 hours? This is just for cross border shopping," Gillingham said. "They need to drop it for 8 days or less or drop it period. Even put in an antigen test requirement over this. So silly."
The Canadian Travel and Tourism Roundtable says the mandatory pre-departure PCR test for arrivals into Canada runs counter to the recommendations made by the Canadian federal government's COVID-19 Testing and Screening Expert Advisory Panel, which concluded that fully vaccinated travellers should not require a pre-departure test for a trip of any duration.
"Even more concerning, Canada's travel rules are out of step with the international community, the Canadian Travel and Tourism Roundtable says in a statement, citing countries including France, Portugal, Germany and the UK which have exempted fully vaccinated Canadian travellers from pre-departure testing requirements.
"The pandemic, vaccination status, and available science has changed; so too should the response and measures to keep Canadians safe while allowing the North American economic partnership to prosper once again," the statement adds.
Goldy Hyder, President & CEO of the Business Council of Canada, says Canadian companies did their part to protect the health of all Canadians through immediate and drastic action during the early months of the pandemic.
"Today we are in a very different position - Canada is one of the most vaccinated countries globally - and our COVID rules must reflect this reality," Hyder says.
"The time to remove the pre-departure PCR test for fully vaccinated travellers, which is harming businesses and their customers, and keeping families apart, was yesterday. We need changes now, not half measures or updates three weeks from now."
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