WASHINGTON, D.C. (WBEN) - Bilateral meetings between members of the Canada–United States Inter-Parliamentary Group (IPG) took place last week in Washington. With border restrictions extended until September 30th, will we see an end to vaccination requirement at the border restrictions and a scrap of the ArriveCAN app?
During the meeting last Wednesday, representatives of Canada, Honourable Senator MacDonald and the Honourable John McKay, P.C. and U.S representatives, Congressmembers Brian Higgins, Bill Huizenga and Joe Morelle all discussed the need to lift border restrictons, the NEXUS program and expanding trade between the U.S. and Canada.
Congressman Higgins says Canada is likely to lift the restrictions at the border as well as for trains and planes in the near future, "They are lifting all COVID restrictions as it relates to border crossings." The Congressman also notes that Canada lifted their mask mandates for domestic flights in June.
The congressman also says that there have been discussions to ditch the ArriveCAN app. Canadians have criticized that it has outlived its use and is not particularly helpful for older people who don't have access to smartphones.
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"We're hoping that the Canadian officials also announce the lifting of the end of the mandatory ArriveCAN app and make that voluntary if people choose to continue to use it. We're hoping for two big announcements this week, as a direct result of conversations that I've had with members of Parliament in Canada. 86% of Canadians are fully vaccinated and we think we're at a good point to end lift or COVID-related restrictions as it relates to crossing the US Canadian border," said Congressman Higgins.
In a 60 Minutes episode that aired Sunday, President Joe Biden says that the pandemic is over, yet vaccination requirements to cross the border still remain, Why? Congressman Brian Higgins says he will be inquiring about that issue when he goes back to Washington [Sept. 19th].
"I don't necessarily believe that the pandemic has ended, people are still hospitalized and are still dying even though things are less severe and the duration of the illness is shorter. That said, I think we have to get into a management mode. People have learned to do the right thing on behalf of themselves and their families to be safe and I think that that vaccine requirements should be lifted and we'll be pushing for that on this side of the border," says Higgins.
With cross-traffic from U.S. to Canada down 40%, the congressman hopes that the restriction confusion is nearing an end, "Talking with my Canadian counterparts, as members of Parliament and in the government, we believe that the United States and Canada should be developing policies and speaking with one voice. It's been a problem that has endured over the past two and a half years leading to a lot of frustration, a lot of confusion and we have to lift all of that frustration, all of that confusion to get us back to a sense of normalcy."