by Jim Byers
Last updated: 7:27 PM ET, Sun June 20, 2021
The Trudeau government on Monday will announce that Canada-US border restrictions will be eased for Canadian citizens and permanent residents. But Public Safety Minister Bill Blair says the "finish line" won't be reached until many, many more Canadians are fully vaccinated.
Appearing on CBC-TV's Rosemary Barton Live show, Blair said the revisions being announced on Monday will be limited to a few measures, and that non-essential travel is still being discouraged by the federal government.
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has said that restrictions could begin to be eased once 75% of Canadian adults had a single vaccine and 20% had both doses. That target was reached and then surpassed on the weekend. But Blair on Sunday said the "finish line" won't be reached until 75% of Canadians eligible for a vaccine are fully vaccinated.
The Public Health Agency of Canada has said major restrictions, such as limits on higher education and indoor sports, could be safely lifted once that 75% double dose figure is reached. Blair today said "changes (at the border) are possible" when Canada gets to that three-quarters full vaccination figure, but he didn't provide any details.
Health Minister Patty Hajdu said recently that, perhaps as soon as July, Canada could ease the rules and allow fully vaccinated Canadians to return home without having to quarantine for 14 days and without having to pay for a three-day hotel stay. Instead, she said, the government might allow Canadians with two vaccine doses to be tested upon their arrival in Canada and then quarantine at home until their test results come back. That normally takes only a day or two.
Blair today that Monday's announcement will include "changes with respect to the government-assisted hotels, perhaps some implication on who would be subject to quarantine, what it means to be a fully vaccinated traveller and what changes can now be accommodated for those people who are, in fact, fully vaccinated."
Blair on Friday announce that the Canada-US border will remain closed to all but essential traffic until July 21.
Critics on both sides of the border blasted Blair for the ruling. One U.S. Congressman said the announcement was "bullshit," while the Tourism Industry Association of Ontario called it a "hammer blow" to the province's tourism businesses.
A U.S. Congressman on the weekend urged American president Joe Biden to unilaterally open the U.S. border to Canadians. But the U.S. Homeland Security Department said on Sunday that U.S. land borders with Canada and Mexico will remain closed to non-essential travel until at least July 21.
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