Kenora MP On Border Decisions

I was glad to hear that Canada will be allowing fully-vaccinated Americans tourists to enter the country starting on August 9th.

This will allow American visitors to patronize our local businesses again and stimulate our economy. Many businesses in Northwestern Ontario are heavily reliant on American tourists, and the border closure has hit many businesses and workers very hard.

Unfortunately, this may be too little, too late for many tourism operators and business owners in our region. By the time our border re-opens next month, operators will have already lost the majority of their summer season.

This is why Conservatives have been calling for a re-opening plan for months. Unfortunately, the Liberal government failed to provide re-opening metrics in a timely manner that would have allowed business owners to plan ahead, and have only just announced their plan to loosen restrictions.

I’m also disappointed that the U.S. has extended their border closure. Days after Canada announced our re-opening plan, the American government announced that their land border would remain closed until at least August 21st. While this doesn’t affect Canada’s re-opening plan, it was devastating news to Canadians separated from friends and loved ones in the States.