Eric Melillo
The MP for Kenora is joining local tourism businesses demanding the reopening of the Canada/US border to double vaccinated Americans.
Eric Melillo says he’s been calling for a safe, proactive reopening plan for over six months now.
“It’s been frustrating. It’s been shocking to me that the government has, on our side, has really not brought forward any kind of plan to do that yet. Bottom line is that we need that border to be open as soon as possible.”
A group of outfitters spoke this week stating they need clarity now and warned time is running out for them.
Local Tourism Businesses Call For Opening Of Border
They also called for federal support to help them recoup the loss of little to no business in May, June and July.
They warned camp owners are dying a slow death.
Eric Melillo agrees.
“Sector specific support that we need for the tourism, for hospitality, for a number of hard hit areas, is badly needed. A lot of the aid programs that the government brought forward last Summer had a lot of holes in them, some people falling through the cracks, a very rigid criteria.”
He notes the set-up made it extremely difficult for seasonal outfitters to qualify for the grants.
The Canada/US border is closed until July 21 at the earliest but there has been no indication from the government on what the future holds.
Here is the weekly column from Kenora MP Eric Melillo:
Dear Constituents,
I hope everyone had a happy and safe Canada Day last week. I’ve really enjoyed the chance to travel around the riding
When I talk to constituents, I hear a lot of concern about our economy, and how we’re going to recover from this pandemic.
We need to reopen the Canada/US border as soon as possible, so tourist operators and other businesses reliant on American clients can re-open their doors.
And as the country re-opens, the Conservatives have a plan to recover our economy and secure Canada’s future.
We’re going to recover the one million jobs lost due to COVID-19, and promote the creation of new ones. We’ll help small businesses reopen, and incentivize entrepreneurs to invest in and start new ones.
We’re going to stand up for workers in natural resource industries, including forestry, mining, and oil and gas, and provide supports to save hard-hit industries like tourism and aviation.
We’re also going to take steps to make sure a pandemic never does this kind of damage to Canada again.
Last week, our Conservative Leader Erin O’Toole released a plan to secure our country against future public health emergencies. It includes provisions to ramp up domestic production of vaccines and critical medicines and to strengthen Canada’s emergency stockpile, as well as national security measures to prevent future pandemics.
Despite Health Minister Patty Hajdu being “fully briefed” on the threat of COVID-19 by early 2020, the Liberal government was caught unprepared – and Canadians suffered. A Conservative government will ensure Canada is never caught off-guard like this again.
As we emerge from this pandemic, we’ll ensure that Canadians don’t have to worry about another pandemic throwing their lives into disarray. Conservatives will secure Canada’s future and give every Canadian the opportunity to prosper.
Working for You
As always, if there is anything my office can assist you with, or if you would like to arrange a meeting, please call me at 807-223-2182 (Dryden) or 807-468-2170 (Kenora), or contact me by email at eric.melillo@parl.gc.ca.
Sincerely,
Eric Melillo
