Health Minister Jean-Yves Duclos said the government would maintain its ability to enforce the measures if needed
OTTAWA — The federal government is removing all remaining COVID-19 related travel measures, ending masks on planes, vaccine mandates and the mandatory use of the ArriveCan app.
Several cabinet ministers announced the change at a news conference Monday morning. Health Minister Jean-Yves Duclos said the government had been following the science and now believes it is safe to relax these measures, starting October 1.
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“Based on the data accumulated over the last few weeks and months. We are announcing that the Government of Canada will not renew the order in council that expires on September 30 and will therefore remove all COVID-19 border requirements for all travellers entering Canada,” he said.
Duclos said the government would maintain its ability to enforce the measures if needed. He strongly advised Canadians to get vaccinated and receive third or even fourth doses.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau defended the government’s decision now and said it was the right time to make the change.
“Every step of the way. We have taken decisions based on the best recommendations of experts, scientists, doctors, and the recommendation was that the border measures are no longer necessary right now.”
Since November 2020, Canadians have had to use the ArriveCan app when they return from overseas to report symptoms. In the fall of 2021, a requirement that travellers be vaccinated and that they be required to add that information was also added.
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Airlines, airports, tourism associations and other groups all called for the government to abandon the app and mandates months ago. Many other countries have scrapped similar requirements, though people travelling into the United States are still required to show proof of vaccination.
WestJet CEO Alexis von Hoensbroech welcomed the news and said it would allow the industry to catch up to international peers.
“Today’s announcement aligns with the travel policies of other major nations, reflects our industry’s outstanding commitment to safety, and recognizes that air travel is no less safe than any other consumer activity,” he said in a statement.
He said it would help the industry recover.
“We are relieved our guests can finally travel with additional confidence and certainty, knowing they can make decisions that are the best for them, and their travel plans won’t be interrupted.”
Duclos stressed that the move to eliminate these travel measures in no way indicated the pandemic is at its end.
“If anyone has doubts as to whether COVID-19 still exists, I would invite that person to visit a hospital anywhere in Canada. We have between 4,000 and 5,000 people hospitalized every day with COVID-19.”
He said most COVID transmission is now happening domestically however and he encouraged Canadians to get booster vaccine doses to protect themselves.
“Immunity fades over time and booster shot brings it back up. Immunity is like a phone battery, after some time, it needs to be recharged.”
Deputy chief public health officer Dr. Howard Njoo said while the virus is still with us, vaccines have changed the calculation.
“We are going into this fall and winter season with a very different scorecard,” he said. “We now have a significant advantage in terms of infection and vaccine acquired immunity, as well as having bivalent vaccine formulations that can further bolster our protection.”
Four Conservative MPs; Larry Brock, Melissa Lantsman, Rob Moore and Alex Ruff, signed an open letter to Justice Minister David Lametti calling on the government to go further and end prosecutions and refund fines paid by Canadians who didn’t use ArriveCan.
Brock’s letter specifically called for the government to apologize for having imposed the app as well.
“Canadians’ rights and freedoms were undermined by this Liberal government for too long, and it is now the responsibility of the Prime Minister and yours as the Minister of Justice and Attorney General, to do everything in your power to restore justice and Canadians’ trust.”
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