Senior Trudeau Government Minister: Don’t Expect Open Canadian Borders by May 1
March 30, 2021 Jim Byers
The chances of Canada openings its borders more fully by early May appear to be slim to none.
Speaking to a group of Canadian travel agents on a Zoom call on Monday, Transport Minister Omar Alghabra said the agents shouldn’t expect Canada’s borders to open by then.
Brenda Slater of the Association of Canadian Independent Travel Advisors, who was on the 45-minute call, said the minister told them “not to expect” movement on the border by May 1.
“He pretty much said ‘Don’t expect the border to open on May 1, but there might be other changes.”
Slater said Alghabra didn’t speculate on what those changes might be.
Canadian airlines in late January voluntarily shut down flights to the Caribbean and Mexico until April 30. Flights are being sold to those destinations for May, and Canadian airlines also are adding more flights to Europe, the U.S. and Asia in May and June.
It’s hard to know if those flights will take place if the border situation remains the same.
Canada and the U.S. have agreed to keep the Canadian-American border closed to all but essential traffic until April 21.
ACITA has been pushing the federal government to help independent travel agents in Canada who have fallen through the cracks and aren’t getting the assistance they need to weather the pandemic. Monday’s meeting with Alghabra was meant to discuss that issue, and Slater said she’s quite encouraged.
The group has a meeting today with a policy adviser in Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland’s office, Slater said.
“Conversations are taking place about agents, agencies, independent advisors in the higher offices of government, and that’s encouraging,” Slater said. “It’s clear we are being considered (for help) and that we’re part of the discussion.”
Slater said Monday’s meeting was scheduled to go for a half-hour but was extended to 45 minutes.
“We’re very appreciative of the minister’s time,” she said.
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