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Canadian travel restrictions extended until Halloween

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Canada is once again extending travel restrictions to foreign travellers as cases of coronavirus continue to rise.

A new Canadian government Order in Council states that coronavirus travel restrictions will be extended until Halloween, on October 31.

Canada initially closed its borders from March 18 to June 30. Since then travel restrictions have been rolled over on a month-by-month basis.

The border is closed to foreign travellers who are coming to Canada for a non-essential reason such as recreation, tourism, or entertainment.

Some people are exempt from travel restrictions, such as:

  • Canadian citizens (including dual citizens) or permanent residents;
  • certain people who have been approved for Canadian permanent residence;
  • certain temporary foreign workers;
  • certain international students;
  • protected persons;
  • immediate family members of Canadians; or
  • anyone else who falls under the exemptions listed on the government’s webpage.

Everyone who crosses the Canadian border must still quarantine for 14 days. The only exemptions to the mandatory quarantine requirement are:

  • crew members;
  • people invited by the health minister to help with the COVID-19 response, and other healthcare workers;
  • members of visiting forces who are coming to work;
  • people coming to receive medical services within 36 hours of their arrival;
  • crossing the border in a trans-border community;
  • people crossing into Canada aboard a “vessel” for the purposes of research, as long as they stay on the vessel; and
  • other circumstances listed in the Order in Council.

Canada has a separate order in place that has also limited cross border travel between it and the U.S. since March. This order was also extended again earlier this month.

The decision to extend Canada’s travel restrictions come as no surprise in light of the rising COVID-19 cases in Canada and abroad.

Canada was able to successfully flatten the coronavirus curve from late May until August.

However, COVID-19 cases have been steadily increasing since late August.

Canada’s largest provinces, Ontario and Quebec, have announced stricter measures in recent days to try and reduce the significantly higher levels of COVID-19 cases they have experienced over the past month.

Canada is still issuing new permanent residence invitations throughout the pandemic.

These invitations are being issued to individuals currently in Canada as well as those abroad, although the number of individuals completing their permanent residence landing in Canada is much lower than usual due to the pandemic.

In addition, the travel restrictions stipulate that only those who received their permanent residence approval prior to March 18 are currently eligible to travel to Canada.

As such, Canada’s ongoing Express Entry and Provincial Nominee Program (PNP) draws are meant in part to facilitate the arrival of immigrants in support of Canada’s economy after the pandemic.

In a speech last week, the Canadian government stated it plans to continue to welcome global talent to drive the country’s economic growth.

Two major events in October will provide more clarity on the Canadian government’s immigration plans following the pandemic.

Canada’s immigration minister Marco Mendicino has made a series of remarks throughout the pandemic suggesting that immigration will be vital to Canada’s economic recovery.

Since 2015, Prime Minister Trudeau and the Liberal government have regularly and widely championed immigration to Canada and the welcoming of refugees. Now, …

Find out if you are eligible for Canadian immigration

Shelby Thevenot

Shelby is an Editor at CIC News.

Shelby has worked as a freelance writer, photojournalist and staff video journalist before she came to CIC News in 2019.

She has lived in Manitoba, Alberta, B.C., and now Quebec. Her exposure to life in multiple communities across Canada
helps her connect readers with the places where they may end up living someday.

Helping people navigate the complex Canadian immigration system is what drives her to create new, engaging, and comprehensive content for CIC News readers.

Talking to people with interesting stories and insights is the best part of her day. Send story ideas to shelby.thevenot@canadavisa.com.

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Bimbo Canada closing Quebec City bakery, affecting 141 workers

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MONTREAL – Bakery company Bimbo Canada says it’s closing its bakery in Quebec City by the end of the year, affecting about 141 workers.

The company says operations will wind down gradually over the next few months as it moves production to its other bakeries.

Bimbo Canada produces and distributes brands including Dempster’s, Villaggio and Stonemill.

It’s a subsidiary of Mexico-based Grupo Bimbo.

The company says it’s focused on optimizing its manufacturing footprint.

It says it will provide severance, personal counselling and outplacement services to affected employees.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 19, 2024.

The Canadian Press. All rights reserved.



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NDP to join Bloc in defeating Conservatives’ non-confidence motion

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OTTAWA – The New Democrats confirmed Thursday they won’t help Pierre Poilievre’s Conservatives topple the government next week, and intend to join the Bloc Québécois in blocking the Tories’ non-confidence motion.

The planned votes from the Bloc and the New Democrats eliminate the possibility of a snap election, buying the Liberals more time to govern after a raucous start to the fall sitting of Parliament.

Poilievre issued a challenge to NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh earlier this week when he announced he will put forward a motion that simply states that the House has no confidence in the government or the prime minister.

If it were to pass, it would likely mean Canadians would be heading to the polls, but Singh said Thursday he’s not going to let Poilievre tell him what to do.

Voting against the Conservative motion doesn’t mean the NDP support the Liberals, said Singh, who pulled out of his political pact with Prime Minister Justin Trudeau a few weeks ago.

“I stand by my words, Trudeau has let you down,” Singh said in the foyer outside of the House of Commons Thursday.

“Trudeau has let you down and does not deserve another chance.”

Canadians will have to make that choice at the ballot box, Singh said, but he will make a decision about whether to help trigger that election on a vote-by-vote basis in the House.

The Conservatives mocked the NDP during Question Period for saying they had “ripped up” the deal to support the Liberals, despite plans to vote to keep them in power.

Poilievre accused Singh of pretending to pull out of the deal to sway voters in a federal byelection in Winnipeg, where the NDP was defending its long-held seat against the Conservatives.

“Once the votes were counted, he betrayed them again. He’s a fake, a phoney and fraud. How can anyone ever believe what the sellout NDP leader says in the future?” Poilievre said during Question Period Thursday afternoon.

At some point after those comments, Singh stepped out from behind his desk in the House and a two-minute shouting match ensued between the two leaders and their MPs before the Speaker intervened.

Outside the House, Poilievre said he plans to put forward another non-confidence motion at the next opportunity.

“We want a carbon-tax election as soon as possible, so that we can axe Trudeau’s tax before he quadruples it to 61 cents a litre,” he said.

Liberal House leader Karina Gould says there is much work the government still needs to do, and that Singh has realized the consequences of potentially bringing down the government. She refused to take questions about whether her government will negotiate with opposition parties to ensure their support in future confidence motions.

Bloc Québécois Leader Yves-François Blanchet hasn’t ruled out voting no-confidence in the government the next time a motion is tabled.

“I never support Liberals. Help me God, I go against the Conservatives on a vote that is only about Pierre Poilievre and his huge ambition for himself,” Blanchet said Thursday.

“I support the interests of Quebecers, if those interests are also good for Canadians.”

A Bloc bill to increase pension cheques for seniors aged 65 to 74 is now at “the very centre of the survival of this government,” he said.

The Bloc needs a recommendation from a government minister to OK the cost and get the bill through the House.

The Bloc also wants to see more protections for supply management in the food sector in Canada and Quebec.

If the Liberals can’t deliver on those two things, they will fall, Blanchet said.

“This is what we call power,” he said.

Treasury Board President Anita Anand wouldn’t say whether the government would be willing to swallow the financial implications of the Bloc’s demands.

“We are focused at Treasury Board on ensuring prudent fiscal management,” she said Thursday.

“And at this time, our immediate focus is implementing the measures in budget 2024 that were announced earlier this year.”

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 19, 2024.



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Anita Anand sworn in as transport minister after Pablo Rodriguez resigns

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OTTAWA – Treasury Board President Anita Anand has been sworn in as federal transport minister at a ceremony at Rideau Hall, taking over a portfolio left vacant after Pablo Rodriguez resigned from cabinet and the Liberal caucus on Thursday.

Anand thanked Rodriguez for his contributions to the government and the country, saying she’s grateful for his guidance and friendship.

She sidestepped a question about the message it sends to have him leave the federal Liberal fold.

“That is a decision that he made independently, and I wish him well,” she said.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau was not present for the swearing-in ceremony, nor were any other members of the Liberal government.

The shakeup in cabinet comes just days after the Liberals lost a key seat in a Montreal byelection to the Bloc Québécois and amid renewed calls for Prime Minister Justin Trudeau to step down and make way for a new leader.

Anand said she is not actively seeking leadership of the party, saying she is focused on her roles as minister and as MP.

“My view is that we are a team, and we are a team that has to keep delivering for our country,” she said.

The minority Liberal government is in a more challenging position in the House of Commons after the NDP ended a supply-and-confidence deal that provided parliamentary stability for more than two years.

Non-confidence votes are guaranteed to come from the Opposition Conservatives, who are eager to bring the government down.

On Thursday morning, Rodriguez made a symbolic walk over the Alexandra Bridge from Parliament Hill to Gatineau, Que., where he formally announced his plans to run for the Quebec Liberal party leadership.

He said he will now sit as an Independent member of Parliament, which will allow him to focus on his own priorities.

“I was defending the priorities of the government, and I did it in a very loyal way,” he said.

“It’s normal and it’s what I had to do. But now it’s more about my vision, the vision of the team that I’m building.”

Rodriguez said he will stay on as an MP until the Quebec Liberal leadership campaign officially launches in January.

He said that will “avoid a costly byelection a few weeks, or months, before a general election.”

The next federal election must be held by October 2025.

Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre said he will try to topple the government sooner than that, beginning with a non-confidence motion that is set to be debated Sept. 24 and voted on Sept. 25.

Poilievre has called on the NDP and the Bloc Québécois to support him, but both Jagmeet Singh and Yves-François Blanchet have said they will not support the Conservatives.

Rodriguez said he doesn’t want a federal election right away and will vote against the non-confidence motion.

As for how he would vote on other matters before the House of Commons, “it would depend on the votes.”

Public Services and Procurement Minister Jean-Yves Duclos will become the government’s new Quebec lieutenant, a non-cabinet role Rodriguez held since 2019.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 19, 2024.

— With files from Nojoud Al Mallees and Dylan Robertson

The Canadian Press. All rights reserved.



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