Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has announced changes Tuesday morning to his cabinet, which includes current Minister of Transport Marc Garneau moving to become Foreign Affairs Minister.
The changes come less than two weeks after Garneau announced significant changes to Canada's testing requirements for travellers, which now mandate anyone arriving in the country over the age of 5, to present a negative COVID PCR test.
The shuffle was started after Navdeep Bains, Minister of iInovation, Science and Industry, has decided not to run in the next election and is leaving cabinet. Current Foreign Affairs Minister François-Philippe Champagne will replace Bains. Omar Alghabra will be promoted to cabinet to take over as Transport Minister.
Garneau announced new testing requirements on New Years Eve, which many have criticized as a hastily put together plan and done without consultation from the travel industry. Many travellers, already out of country at the time were unaware of the new protocols, resulting in mass confusion and some being denied boarding. The Federal Government has since added an extension for Jamaica travellers until January 18 due to a lack of available testing facilities.
The shuffle happened in a televised meeting Tuesday morning and, due to COVID-19, was the first virtual cabinet shuffle.
The Canadian Airports Council said Canada's airports are ready to work with the new ministerto ensure that the aviation sector is positioned to make a positive contribution to Canada's economic recovery when people are ready to travel again.
"We welcome Mr. Alghabra to this challenging portfolio and hope to start working with him immediately," said Canadian Airports Council president, Daniel-Robert Gooch "Unfortunately, we are in a crisis situation, and there is no time to waste.
"There are two pieces the minister must act on urgently," Gooch said. "First is the implementation and possible enhancement of the financial relief and regional access programs already announced by the government. Second is the need to expand the pilot testing programs at airports with the hope that they can be tied to reduced quarantine requirements, once safety concerns have been met."
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