Dear Members,
There has been lots of border talk this week. Here is our assessment of where things stand.
Earlier this month, the COVID-19 Testing and Screening Expert Advisory Panel, commissioned by the Federal Government, released their report. It was a solid report, it included HAC’s recommendations and it concluded that Canada could safely reopen its borders.
Immediately following the report’s release, HAC issued a letter to the Prime Minister calling for a detailed plan and clarity around expected re-open timeframes.
The broader travel and tourism industry has also rallied behind this report, all pushing for an evidence-based plan to safely reopen Canada to travel.
On Tuesday, HAC joined forces with the Tourism Industry Association of Canada at a live press event in Toronto, in pursuit of a border reopening plan. If you have not yet sent a letter to your MP to support this ask, please do so here. We need to apply as much pressure as possible.
This is a good step in the right direction, but it doesn’t go far enough.
This message is supported by the Canadian Travel and Tourism Roundtable, of which HAC is a Steering Committee member. That group issued a press release this week in response to the Government’s announcement calling on the Federal Government to release a comprehensive plan ahead of the G7 summit.
Our approach is working, but we have to continue to apply pressure. The border is a significant political risk for the Government, and we need to show the Prime Minister that there are supportive industries and stakeholders willing to stand behind them if they accelerate the border re-opening.
We will share more details with you as this develops.
Sincerely,
