“I can tell you that the decision we made was not about airport delays,” Alghabra said in an interview with Rosemary Barton Live on Sunday. The government described the shift as a “suspension”, noting that the orders could be reintroduced if there was a change in the COVID-19 pandemic trend. The delays at airports, Alghabra noted, are due in part to labor shortages among airlines and to increased Canadian travel. He argued that there have been improvements in delays recently, thanks to procedural changes and the hiring of more screeners. “I’m not saying there are no problems at the moment, but we have seen significant improvements in recent weeks,” he said. Suspension of vaccine mandate affects domestic travel. Foreign travelers entering Canada must be fully vaccinated or eligible for an exemption. Test requirements for unvaccinated travelers will also remain in force. The suspension also abolishes vaccination orders for federal and transport workers. Alghabra told CBC Chief Political Officer Rosemary Barton that the decision was the result of an extensive process to determine if the measures could be safely removed, given data on vaccination and transmission. “We wanted to be careful. We want it to be safe. And we want to make sure we have the right tools before we move on,” he said.
Commands could be returned if the situation changes
The government has argued that the two-dose vaccination regime today has a reduced effect on transmission, given the rise of the Omicron variant. The government has chosen not to add a third installment to its definition of what it considers “fully vaccinated”. Intergovernmental Affairs Minister Dominic LeBlanc said earlier this week that the government “would not hesitate” to make the change if the epidemiological situation called for it. Slightly less than half of Canadians have received at least one booster dose. Algabra also said the government would make changes to the mandate system as needed. CLOCKS The Minister for Intergovernmental Affairs for changes in travel restrictions:
Ottawa deliberately took time to lift vaccination orders for domestic travel, says Intergovernmental Affairs Minister
“We deliberately decided to be careful. We deliberately decided to take our time. We are not going to apologize for that.” Intergovernmental Affairs Minister Dominic LeBlanc on why Ottawa has so far waited to suspend vaccination orders for domestic travel. “I hope we will never have to bring it back. But for now, given the evidence and the current state of public health we have, we felt comfortable that it was time to suspend it.” The government said broadcasting was one of many factors taken into account in making its decision. Conservatives have called for an end to travel vaccines. MP Ron Lippert said earlier this week that change “could not come soon enough”. The Conservatives also welcomed the news that the vaccination voucher in the House of Commons will expire on Monday, with the removal of the mask orders on June 23 (the last day of possible meetings before the summer recess). Alghabra also described how the tests for COVID-19 would work when the mandatory suspension of mandatory random tests expires at the end of June. Randomly selected travelers arriving will receive a test kit to complete it almost at home under the supervision of a health professional, while unvaccinated travelers will be screened at facilities near the airport.
