The measures affect land ports of entry — so air travel is exempt, though Canada has already urged against all non-essential international travel.
Government officials have stressed that trucks and trains with food and supplies will continue to move between countries. The border supports $2.4 billion in daily trade, according to a statement from the federal government.
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1:48 St. Stephen, N.B. prepares for change as Canada-US border restrictions come into effect
St. Stephen, N.B. prepares for change as Canada-US border restrictions come into effect
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and his cabinet members have not outlined a full list of scenarios that would constitute essential travel, but they indicated that there would be a variety of acceptable reasons for Americans to enter Canada and vice versa.
Public Safety Minister Bill Blair said Canadians and Americans who cross the border “every day to do essential work and for other urgent or essential reasons,” can continue to do so. He offered the example of health-care workers.
International students, workers with visas and temporary foreign workers will continue to be allowed to enter Canada. But all international arrivals have been told to self-isolate for 14 days.
Blair said that truck drivers have also received advice on hand hygiene as well as social distancing, and they will be routinely checked for symptoms at the border.
0:34 Coronavirus outbreak: New border restrictions come into effect at midnight, Trudeau says
Coronavirus outbreak: New border restrictions come into effect at midnight, Trudeau says
“We are facilitating essential workers crossing back and forth across the border, asking that they self-monitor for any symptoms which would be concerning, and then reference them immediately to health officials should they become symptomatic,” he said.
Blair was asked about travel for compassionate reasons on Friday.
“I know our officials on both sides of the border are working very closely to make sure that there is a consistency in the way in which these measures will be implemented,” he said at a press conference.
2:09 Canadians return home amid border closing with U.S. due to coronavirus outbreak
Canadians return home amid border closing with U.S. due to coronavirus outbreak
“But at the same time, we recognize that there are exceptional, extraordinary circumstances and there is an expectation that border officers will exercise the appropriate discretion in determining in those exceptional and extraordinary circumstances if the travel is, in fact, essential.”
A document from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security outlines a list of scenarios in which travellers from Canada would be able to enter the U.S.
The document has not officially been published by the U.S. Federal Register and therefore may not be finalized. A spokesperson for DHS did not respond to a request for clarification as of publication.
The document says the guidelines apply to land ports and ferry crossings. It states that essential travel includes, but is not limited to:
Returning U.S. citizens and permanent residents
Those travelling for medical purposes or to attend school
Those travelling to work in the U.S. (“e.g., individuals working in the farming or agriculture industry who must travel between the United States and Canada in furtherance of such work”)
Those travelling for “emergency response and public health purposes” — which includes government and emergency responders
Truck drivers and others “engaged in lawful cross-border trade”
Official government/diplomatic travel
Members of the U.S. Armed Forces and those on military-related travel
TORONTO – Ontario is pushing through several bills with little or no debate, which the government house leader says is due to a short legislative sitting.
The government has significantly reduced debate and committee time on the proposed law that would force municipalities to seek permission to install bike lanes when they would remove a car lane.
It also passed the fall economic statement that contains legislation to send out $200 cheques to taxpayers with reduced debating time.
The province tabled a bill Wednesday afternoon that would extend the per-vote subsidy program, which funnels money to political parties, until 2027.
That bill passed third reading Thursday morning with no debate and is awaiting royal assent.
Government House Leader Steve Clark did not answer a question about whether the province is speeding up passage of the bills in order to have an election in the spring, which Premier Doug Ford has not ruled out.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 7, 2024.
