Canada and the U.S. discuss opening borders

Canada's federal government has begun preliminary talks about opening its land border with the United States. Citing several sources, Bloomberg writes that one of the issues under discussion is whether the countries should introduce a system in which testing and quarantine requirements would be relaxed for vaccinated travelers.

"We imposed strict border restrictions more than a year ago to prevent the spread of COVID-19 in Canada," says James Cudmore, director of communications for Public Safety Minister Bill Blair. — Every month, the federal government consults with public health officials to see what changes to existing restrictive measures are needed."

In April, it was decided once again to extend the closed border regime between Canada and the US for another month, until May 21. The land border between the countries has been closed since March 2020. The restrictions particularly affected Canada's tourism and aviation sectors.

"It's a political issue," former Canadian ambassador to the U.S. Michael Kergin said in a telephone interview, "and it all depends on when the Canadian side — which is what it's delaying now — decides it's ready to open the borders and decides for which categories of travelers to do so.

According to officials, any relaxation of restrictions will be gradual and will depend on the reduction of cases in both countries. Negotiations have only just begun, so it may not be worth waiting for changes any time soon.

Another challenge on the road to open borders is vaccination confirmation. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has already announced that Canada is ready to introduce so-called "vaccination passports" — an electronic document that confirms that a traveler has been vaccinated. President Joe Biden's administration, by contrast, is ruling out this option.

Canada previously said it was in talks with the European Union to agree to open borders in the future with proof of vaccination.