Roundtable urges Trudeau to remove border testing; update at 1 p.m. EST today (Feb. 15)

The Canadian Travel and Tourism Roundtable, a coalition of travel and tourism industry leaders, issued an open letter to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau yesterday (Feb. 14) in anticipation of the Minister of Health's announcement this week regarding changes to border measures.

The letter is signed by airline CEOs, Brett Walker, chair, Canadian Association of Tour Operators, Wendy Paradis, president of the Association of Canadian Travel Agencies, Beth Potter, President and CEO, Tourism Industry Association of Canada and many others. 

At a press conference last Friday (Feb. 11), Health Minister Jean-Yves Duclos said the worst of the Omicron wave in Canada was “now behind us” and that changes to Canadian border measures would be announced this week.

Prime Minister Trudeau also spoke to media that same day and said measures requiring people to be fully vaccinated to board a plane or train are not among the changes being announced.

Announcement expected today 

Health Minister Duclos is expected to announce changes to Canada's border measures today (Feb. 15) at 1 p.m. EST.

Early reports have offered a possible sign of what’s to come.

Last week, CTV News, citing a senior government source, reported that the Canadian government is going to remove PCR testing requirements for fully vaccinated travellers at the end of the month.

But border testing will remain, the report claims. Instead, fully vaccinated Canadians will be required to show a negative antigen test in order to return home, which is similar to what the United States requires.

Antigen testing is cheaper and quicker to process (compared to molecular/PCR testing), so this possible change could be viewed as a step in the right direction.

But any form of testing at the border is, arguably, still a deterrent to travel. Pre-departure tests can impact consumer confidence as they can lead to false positives and, incorrectly, leave fully vaccinated, COVID-negative or recovered clients stranded in destination.

No official announcement has been made by the Canadian government just yet. 

It is also unclear as to what will become of Canada’s on-arrival test-and-quarantine program, which Ottawa ramped up in late November in response to the Omicron variant.

The Roundtable, last week, held a press conference at Toronto Pearson airport and handed the floor over to two doctors who called for the removal of obsolete testing measures at the Canadian border – specifically pre-departure and on-arrival PCR tests for fully-vaxxed travellers.

Addressing reporters, Dr. Zain Chagla and Dr. Dominik Mertz of McMaster University highlighted flaws and inconsistencies with the Government of Canada’s testing measures.

From Denmark and the United Kingdom to Switzerland, Ireland and Norway, many countries have already removed COVID-19 travel restrictions for fully vaccinated travellers.

This is one of several points The Roundtable highlights in its letter to Prime Minister Trudeau.

Read the letter, in its entirety, here.

Dear Prime Minister:

Canada is in a new phase of the COVID-19 pandemic – one marked by widespread vaccination and high levels of prior infection, and one which many Medical Officers of Health have called endemic.

From Denmark and the United Kingdom to Switzerland, Ireland and Norway, many forward-thinking countries worldwide have recognized that the time has come to remove COVID-19 travel restrictions for fully vaccinated travellers.

We believe Canada should do the same.

Canadians have been among the most cooperative citizens anywhere in the world, rolling up their sleeves, staying home, and cancelling or adjusting travel or personal plans time and time again.

The Canadian Travel and Tourism industry is calling on the federal government to lay out a plan with a clear timeline for removing travel restrictions for fully vaccinated travellers and their children, including removing unnecessary pre-departure and on-arrival testing and isolation requirements and blanket travel advisories.

Travellers are subject to mandatory vaccination, as is the industry which serves them. Our industry has been in lockstep with the government by prioritizing safety since the beginning of the pandemic – including through our strong support of vaccination.

Since the pandemic's start, only 1 per cent of all cases of COVID-19 in Canada have been related to travel, and throughout the last wave, the test positivity rate in communities reached ten times what it was at our borders.

We strongly agree with the government's repeated statements that Canada's COVID-19 policies should be based on science but there is no logical or scientific reason that travel should be singled out as the only activity that requires testing and isolation.

As a country we have learned a lot over the last two years and it's time we apply an updated approach to our thinking to quickly and safely transition out of this most recent phase of the pandemic.

It's time for the federal government to begin encouraging Canadians to travel and to invite the world to once again explore what our great country has to offer.

As provinces come out of lockdowns and with the spring and summer travel seasons on the horizon, we urgently request that the federal government allow the travel and tourism sector to reopen alongside all other sectors of the economy.

Sincerely,

Perrin Beatty - President and CEO, Canadian Chamber of Commerce

Monette Pasher - Interim President, Canadian Airports Council

Beth Potter - President and CEO, Tourism Industry Association of Canada

Brett Walker - Chair, Canadian Association of Tour Operators

Heather McCrory - Chief Executive Officer, North & Central America, Accor

Paul Burns - President & CEO, Canadian Gaming Association

Philippe Rainville - President and Chief Executive Officer, Aéroports de Montréal

Erin Benjamin - President & CEO, Canadian Live Music Association

Michael Rousseau - President and Chief Executive Officer, Air Canada

Michel Leblanc - President and CEO, Chamber of Commerce of Metropolitan Montreal

Patrick Doyle - Vice President & General Manager, American Express Global Business Travel

Joseph Randell - President and Chief Executive Officer, Chorus Aviation

Véronyque Tremblay - President and Chief Executive Officer, Association Hôtellerie Québec

Scott Beck - President and CEO, Destination Toronto

Wendy Paradis - President, Association of Canadian Travel Agencies

Nick Farkas - Vice President of Concerts and Events, evenko

Goldy Hyder - President & CEO, Business Council of Canada

Zita Cobb - Innkeeper, Fogo Island Inn

Jim Facette - Executive Director & CEO, Canada's Accredited Zoos and Aquariums

Nancy Tudorache - Regional Vice President, Canada, Global Business Travel Association

Deborah Flint - President and Chief Executive Officer, Greater Toronto Airports Authority

Bridgitte Anderson - President and CEO, Greater Vancouver Board of Trade

Susie Grynol - President, Hotel Association of Canada

Patti-Anne Tarlton - Global Executive Vice President, Ticketmaster

Lydia Chen - President and Chief Executive Officer, InnVest Hotels

Jan De Silva - President and CEO, Toronto Region Board of Trade

Douglas Lavin - Regional Vice President, North America, International Air Transport Association (IATA)

Yves Lalumière - President and CEO, Tourisme Montréal

Don Cleary - President, Canada Operations, Marriott

Annick Guérard - President and CEO, Transat

Suzanne Acton-Gervais - Interim President and CEO, National Airlines Council of Canada

Harry Taylor - Interim President and Chief Executive Officer, WestJet

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