Trudeau Teases With Travel Talk: Changes Are On The Way But No Details

January 26, 2021 Jim Byers

Canadians will have to wait a little longer to find out what kind of new travel restrictions they might face. But it appears they are coming, and soon.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau addressed the media today and said tough new measures will be announced “in the coming days.”

Trudeau said his government is working “very carefully and very diligently” on new rules. But he declined to offer specifics.

“We will be coming up with new measures soon,” he said in French. “There will be other opportunities for you to travel when the pandemic is more under control.”

He also conceded that community transmission is a much greater issue than travel in terms of spreading the COVID-19 virus. But he said Canada still wants to discourage Canadians from any non-essential travel.

“Even with a very small level of importation of cases, one case is one too many,” he said, again in French. “And the concerns we have now with the variants that are everywhere in the world that we want to prevent from taking hold here in Canada, we are now looking for ways of once again improving the measures we’ve already implemented.”

Quebec Premier Francois Legault and others have been pushing the Liberals for a mandatory, 14-day hotel quarantine for all arriving air passengers, and at their cost. That would likely run into the thousands of dollars for most passengers, thus making the cost of travel prohibitive.

Trudeau government ministers also have talked about having more testing at land crossings. But the Prime Minister today said he doesn’t want to create any hardship for those supplying Canada with needed goods and medical supplies.

“We want to make sure that the restrictions are the right ones,” he said outside Rideau Cottage. “We’ll be making announcements very soon.”

Trudeau said Canada already has some of the toughest travel measures in the world, including closed borders and required 14-day quarantines.

Ontario Premier Doug Ford, who’s been pushing hard for more airport testing and also for stronger quarantine measures, held a photo opportunity at Toronto Pearson on Tuesday afternoon with Health Minister Christine Elliott.

Ford told reporters that only 2.5% of folks landing at Toronto Pearson are testing positive, but that that means roughly 750 people a week.

“It’s absolutely critical that we have pre-flight tests and tests when people arrive,” the Premier said. “Please get mandatory testing. It’s absolutely critical to protect our borders.”

The Canadian government earlier this month said that anyone five and older has to have a negative PCR test (taken within 72 hours of a flight) before they fly to Canada. There are volunteer tests available at Toronto Pearson for folks to take after they land, but reporters at the Ford press event said few people appear to be taking them.

That’s why mandatory tests are required, Ford said.

“We have to lock down. We have a very porous border right now.”

About the Author