An agreement to stem non-essential travel between Canada and the United States is being interpreted and applied very differently by the two countries, despite the Canadian government’s assurances that the restrictions would be applied “consistently” on both sides of the border, CBC News has learned.
While Canada has banned all non-essential travel, regardless of the mode of transportation, the United States is only banning non-essential travel across the border at land crossings and by ferry.
“At this time, this Notification does not apply to air, freight rail or sea travel between the United State and Canada but does apply to passenger rail and ferry travel between the United States and Canada,” reads an order published on March 24 in the U.S Federal Register, the U.S. government’s equivalent of the Canada Gazette.
The U.S. Embassy in Canada has echoed that message in its social media posts and in a fact sheet published on its website.
“The United States has reached a mutual agreement with Canada to restrict non-essential travel across our shared land border,” the embassy posted on Facebook over the weekend. “This action does not apply to air, rail or sea travel at this time.”
Officials with the U.S Customs and Border Protection office provided a similar answer — that its land ports of entry would only admit those who provide documentation that they are on essential travel, but the directive doesn’t apply to things like air or sea travel.
This notice from the U.S. Embassy in Canada was posted on Facebook over the weekend. (Facebook)
That means, for example, that a Canadian who isn’t showing symptoms of COVID-19 could be allowed to fly or sail to the United States.
However, an American trying to enter Canada for non-essential travel would be refused, say officials with the Canada Border Services Agency.
“We can’t speak for the U.S., unfortunately,” wrote CBSA spokeswoman Ashley Lemire. “For those trying to enter Canada, the restrictions for non-essential travel applies to ALL modes of travel.”
It’s not clear why the two governments have such different interpretations of the month-long agreement — particularly since Public Safety Minister Bill Blair reassured Canadians at the time of the announcement that Canada and the U.S. would coordinate on its implementation.
“Our officials on both sides of the border are working very closely to make sure there is a consistency in the way in which these measures will be implemented,” Blair told reporters March 20. “At the same time, we recognize there are exceptional circumstances and there is an expectation that border officers will exercise the appropriate discretion in determining in those exceptional circumstances if the travel is in fact essential.
“What we are all united in attempting to do is to discourage that travel which is clearly not essential, people that are engaged in tourist activities or recreational activities.”
Blair’s office and that of Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland have not yet provided CBC News with a written version of the agreement.
Minister of Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness Bill Blair assured reporters on March 20 that the two countries were working together to ensure the agreement to restrict non-essential travel was applied consistently on both sides of the border. (THE CANADIAN PRESS/Sean Kilpatrick)
U.S. President Donald Trump has mused in recent days about extending the deal beyond its scheduled expiry date of April 21.
News that the two countries are implementing the same agreement in very different ways comes as the number of COVID-19 cases in both countries continue to rise — much faster in the U.S. than in Canada.
While Canada has taken aggressive actions to combat the pandemic, at the expense of the economy, the United States was slower to act. More than 206,000 Americans had been diagnosed with COVID-19 by Wednesday, compared with fewer than 10,000 in Canada.
Canadian government officials have sought to reassure Canadians about the prospect of the virus coming into Canada from the U.S., pointing to the agreement that curbs non-essential travel.
“Canada and the United States have agreed to stop non-essential travel specifically for tourism and recreation,” Prime Minister Justin Trudeau told reporters on March 20. “Trade and commerce will continue.”
Unlike the U.S. order, the order in council adopted by Trudeau’s cabinet doesn’t spell out what modes of travel it covers.
The original order, dated March 20, included a reference to air travel that was scheduled to arrive before midnight on March 21. However, that order in council was repealed and replaced with a second one on March 26 — two days after the U.S. order — that makes no reference to air travel.
Transport Canada guidance issued to air carriers, citing that order in council, directs them to deny boarding to foreign nationals who are travelling to Canada for “optional or discretionary purposes, including tourism, recreation or entertainment purposes.”
VANCOUVER – Contract negotiations resume today in Vancouver in a labour dispute that has paralyzed container cargo shipping at British Columbia’s ports since Monday.
The BC Maritime Employers Association and International Longshore and Warehouse Union Local 514 are scheduled to meet for the next three days in mediated talks to try to break a deadlock in negotiations.
The union, which represents more than 700 longshore supervisors at ports, including Vancouver, Prince Rupert and Nanaimo, has been without a contract since March last year.
The latest talks come after employers locked out workers in response to what it said was “strike activity” by union members.
The start of the lockout was then followed by several days of no engagement between the two parties, prompting federal Labour Minister Steven MacKinnon to speak with leaders on both sides, asking them to restart talks.
MacKinnon had said that the talks were “progressing at an insufficient pace, indicating a concerning absence of urgency from the parties involved” — a sentiment echoed by several business groups across Canada.
In a joint letter, more than 100 organizations, including the Canadian Chamber of Commerce, Business Council of Canada and associations representing industries from automotive and fertilizer to retail and mining, urged the government to do whatever it takes to end the work stoppage.
“While we acknowledge efforts to continue with mediation, parties have not been able to come to a negotiated agreement,” the letter says. “So, the federal government must take decisive action, using every tool at its disposal to resolve this dispute and limit the damage caused by this disruption.
“We simply cannot afford to once again put Canadian businesses at risk, which in turn puts Canadian livelihoods at risk.”
In the meantime, the union says it has filed a complaint to the Canada Industrial Relations Board against the employers, alleging the association threatened to pull existing conditions out of the last contract in direct contact with its members.
“The BCMEA is trying to undermine the union by attempting to turn members against its democratically elected leadership and bargaining committee — despite the fact that the BCMEA knows full well we received a 96 per cent mandate to take job action if needed,” union president Frank Morena said in a statement.
The employers have responded by calling the complaint “another meritless claim,” adding the final offer to the union that includes a 19.2 per cent wage increase over a four-year term remains on the table.
“The final offer has been on the table for over a week and represents a fair and balanced proposal for employees, and if accepted would end this dispute,” the employers’ statement says. “The offer does not require any concessions from the union.”
The union says the offer does not address the key issue of staffing requirement at the terminals as the port introduces more automation to cargo loading and unloading, which could potentially require fewer workers to operate than older systems.
The Port of Vancouver is the largest in Canada and has seen a number of labour disruptions, including two instances involving the rail and grain storage sectors earlier this year.
A 13-day strike by another group of workers at the port last year resulted in the disruption of a significant amount of shipping and trade.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 9, 2024.
The Royal Canadian Legion says a new partnership with e-commerce giant Amazon is helping boost its veterans’ fund, and will hopefully expand its donor base in the digital world.
Since the Oct. 25 launch of its Amazon.ca storefront, the legion says it has received nearly 10,000 orders for poppies.
Online shoppers can order lapel poppies on Amazon in exchange for donations or buy items such as “We Remember” lawn signs, Remembrance Day pins and other accessories, with all proceeds going to the legion’s Poppy Trust Fund for Canadian veterans and their families.
Nujma Bond, the legion’s national spokesperson, said the organization sees this move as keeping up with modern purchasing habits.
“As the world around us evolves we have been looking at different ways to distribute poppies and to make it easier for people to access them,” she said in an interview.
“This is definitely a way to reach a wider number of Canadians of all ages. And certainly younger Canadians are much more active on the web, on social media in general, so we’re also engaging in that way.”
Al Plume, a member of a legion branch in Trenton, Ont., said the online store can also help with outreach to veterans who are far from home.
“For veterans that are overseas and are away, (or) can’t get to a store they can order them online, it’s Amazon.” Plume said.
Plume spent 35 years in the military with the Royal Engineers, and retired eight years ago. He said making sure veterans are looked after is his passion.
“I’ve seen the struggles that our veterans have had with Veterans Affairs … and that’s why I got involved, with making sure that the people get to them and help the veterans with their paperwork.”
But the message about the Amazon storefront didn’t appear to reach all of the legion’s locations, with volunteers at Branch 179 on Vancouver’s Commercial Drive saying they hadn’t heard about the online push.
Holly Paddon, the branch’s poppy campaign co-ordinator and bartender, said the Amazon partnership never came up in meetings with other legion volunteers and officials.
“I work at the legion, I work with the Vancouver poppy office and I go to the meetings for the Vancouver poppy campaign — which includes all the legions in Vancouver — and not once has this been mentioned,” she said.
Paddon said the initiative is a great idea, but she would like to have known more about it.
The legion also sells a larger collection of items at poppystore.ca.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 9, 2024.
