Canada’s border restrictions will remain in place for at least another month.
It was scheduled to open Wednesday, April 21.
Public Safety Minister Bill Blair says Canadian and U.S. officials have agreed to keep the border between the two countries closed to non-essential travel until May 21 at the earliest.
Both countries still have concerns about the spread of variants.
Kenora MP Eric Melillo is pushing both sides to keep the dialogue going.
“It’s very important, I think, that we’re having these proactive discussions. We know the United States is much further ahead of us in terms of vaccinations and perhaps they have a different understanding of what the timeline can look like.”
He adds, “As long as we’re having those conversations between Canadian parliamentarians and United States representatives as well. I think it can only be a positive because our government is sort of currently entrenched in the status quo and hasn’t been able to show a plan, or I believe a desire, to get to reopening.”
International Falls recently held a virtual meeting with American, Canadian, and regional government reps to discuss a possible reopening with a heavy push south of the border to allow travel among those who are vaccinated.
Melillo says he wants to see our government become a bit more proactive in trying to find a plan to safely reopening, stressing that’s something we badly need for our tourism industry and businesses.
He notes the Conservatives will continue to push for the data the federal government is using when making these types of decisions.
Melillo admits it’s unrealistic to pick a specific reopening date, but states Canadians deserve some clarity on what the summer season might look like.
