Trudeau urged to drop border ambiguity and salvage summer travel

Tourism businesses pushed PM Justin Trudeau to relax stringent Canadian border rules in time to salvage the summer travel season, calling for a nationwide plan to reopen the country as the Covid-19 pandemic eases. The Tourism Industry Association of Canada, the National Airlines Council of Canada and other business groups lambasted the government’s lack of clarity over future travel rules, even as vaccination rates climb rapidly. They also asked for a vaccine certification process and harmonized rules between provinces, which have at times made entry even more restrictive. “The data today justifies a renewed approach to border measures,” Susie Grynol, president of the Hotel Association of Canada, told reporters Monday at Ottawa’s airport. “Canada cannot afford to be left behind as other countries around the world begin to reopen. We cannot afford to lose the second summer in a row.” About 64% of Canadians have received one dose of a vaccine so far but only 12% have received two shots, according to data from the Canadian Broadcasting Corp. Rates of infection and hospitalization have seen sharp declines in most of the country. Trudeau’s government has so far paid little heed to pleas from the business community. Its only concession came last week, when it said it would end a mandatory hotel quarantine for fully vaccinated Canadian residents arriving by air. But that won’t take effect until July, and Trudeau himself will adhere to it upon returning from international summits in Europe this week.<br/>