The federal government announced new exemptions and a grace period for unvaccinated foreign nationals Friday, along with details of its vaccine mandate for travellers that takes effect Saturday.
Transport Minister Omar Alghabra spoke at Toronto Pearson Airport about Transport Canada’s final orders and guidance, issued to airlines and railways following consultations.
Starting at 3 a.m. on Oct. 30, all travellers in Canada aged 12 and older must be fully vaccinated before boarding planes, trains or cruise ships in this country. Even those fully vaccinated need to show proof of a negative molecular COVID-19 test upon returning to Canada. Ottawa is facing pressure to drop that requirement.
Canadians travelling abroad will need to follow the rules of the specific airline and country they are entering, which may include testing.
If travellers have started the vaccination process but have not yet completed it, they can show proof of a valid COVID-19 molecular test until Nov. 29. As of Nov. 30, the unvaccinated will not be eligible to travel, except for limited exemptions.
“Let me be very clear. If you are not fully vaccinated against COVID-19 by the end of November, you will not be allowed to board a plane or train in Canada,” Alghabra said.
But the transport minister said there would be a “few exceptions” for “emergencies and special accommodation for designated remote communities so residents can continue to access essential services.”
Alghabra said that after consultations with Indigenous communities, provinces and territories, the government recognizes that there are several communities where the only way in or out for most of the year is by plane, and some may need to travel for emergency reasons.
“Those are communities that have very little if no access to the outside world other than travelling by plane,” he said.
Also new today is that the Canadian Air Transport Security Authority (CATSA) will support operators by confirming vaccination status.
To qualify as a fully vaccinated traveller to Canada, you must have received at least 2 doses of a Government of Canada-accepted COVID-19 vaccine or a mix of 2 accepted vaccines.
WATCH | What you need to know about required vaccines for travellers:
What to know about required vaccines for travellers in Canada
20 days ago
Transport Minister Omar Alghabra joins CBC chief political correspondent Rosemary Barton to discuss his government’s new vaccine mandate for federal workers and people travelling by train or plane. Flair Airlines CEO Stephen Jones responds to the new vaccine mandate for travellers, sharing his airline’s concerns about the new measures. 15:13
Grace period for unvaccinated foreign travellers leaving Canada
Alghabra also announced new “transitional measures” for unvaccinated foreign nationals who don’t live in Canada and entered the country before Oct. 30. They will have until Feb. 28 to show proof of a valid COVID-19 molecular test in order to board a flight taking them out of the country.
After Feb. 28, foreign nationals who want to leave Canada will need to get fully vaccinated, he said.
The government already said in August that all employers in federally regulated air, rail and marine transportation sectors are required to roll out mandatory vaccination policies for their organization by tomorrow.
After a short transition period, companies must guarantee staff, including those who work at restaurants and retail stores at airports, are fully vaccinated; those who aren’t could be forced off the job.
Alghabra did not provide an update on the government’s work on a standardized vaccine certificate but said he wanted to “thank everyone who has done the right thing and gotten vaccinated.”
The federal government is still working on a standardized vaccine certificate for Canadians to use while travelling, rather than relying on each province’s proof of vaccination. (Graham Hughes/The Canadian Press)
Alghabra told CBC’s Rosemary Barton earlier this month that the federal government was continuing to work with provinces and territories to come up with a standardized certificate that likely would include a QR code for travellers to use at the airport.
Alghabra said then that he expected the project to be completed in a matter of weeks.
The vaccine mandate for travellers was one of Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s election promises during the recent campaign. His deputy, Chrystia Freeland,has said that the Liberals heard strong support for vaccine mandates while door-knocking during the campaign.
Roughly 72 per cent of Canada’s total population is fully vaccinated.
The Conservatives have argued against vaccine mandates, saying that while they encourage Canadians to get vaccinated, it’s a matter of personal choice. Conservative Leader Erin O’Toole has accused Trudeau of politicizing the issue of vaccines and creating division in the country.
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.
