People are waiting in line to check in at Pearson International Airport in Toronto on May 12, 2022. Nathan Dennett / The Canadian Press
Ottawa will temporarily suspend random tests for COVID-19 for air passengers, but has kept its mandate for a local travel vaccine in effect, although sources say most Liberal lawmakers agree with the Conservatives’ position to abolish it.
On Friday, the federal government announced it would stop imposing random testing on fully vaccinated passengers from Saturday. The suspension will be in effect until July 1, when tests will be resumed at random, but outside the airports.
Testing of unvaccinated passengers will continue, but will be taken off-site at the end of the month.
The changes are the latest attempt by the federal government to ease bottlenecks at airports, especially Pearson’s in Toronto, which lead to hours of waiting, missed connections and canceled flights. Ottawa has also hired more security personnel and installed more customs booths.
The aviation industry and official opposition conservatives have blamed the airport chaos in part on federal rules for COVID-19 and called for an end to testing policies and vaccine mandates (which apply to international and local passengers and airport staff). Delays are also fueled by a staffing crisis, with airlines and security agencies struggling to hire staff amid rising passenger numbers.
Morgan Bell, a spokesman for Calgary-based WestJet Airlines, called the halt to random testing a “step in the right direction”, but added that the airline wanted all pandemic rules removed.
Canada has already abolished its requirement for mandatory pre-arrival testing, but unlike the United States and many other countries, Canada requires local air and rail travelers to be vaccinated.
The United States on Sunday will remove the requirement for pre-arrival tests for COVID-19 for people arriving by plane. The move is expected to increase the number of visitors to the United States, as well as reduce the delays faced by passengers departing for the United States from Canadian airports.
Conservative MP Melissa Lanzman, who has been pushing for an end to the February mandates, said moving random testing off-site solves one problem but creates another by adding a different layer of complexity to passengers. She said the government had not shared data to justify what it called “criminal” mandates. Most other jurisdictions in Canada have waived their vaccine mandates.
A Canadian government website for evidence of in-flight transmission of COVID-19, last updated in November, cites a study that found that vaccinated passengers were 74 percent less likely to be infected than those vaccinated. who have not been vaccinated. The impact of vaccine mandates on in-flight transmission is not covered by any study, and most studies were conducted before the widespread introduction of vaccines, the website said.
Last week, Ms. Lanzman submitted a proposal to the House calling on the federal government to “return to the rules immediately before the pandemic.” The proposal was backed by Conservative and Liberal MP Joel Lightbound, but won by all other Liberal MPs and all NDP, Bloc Québécois and Green MPs.
Three Liberal sources said many of Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s lawmakers wanted the government to end its mandate for a local travel vaccine. This rule prohibits unvaccinated people from boarding planes or trains for travel in the country. Some lawmakers also want the mandate for a vaccine for international air travel to be lifted, but sources said there is less agreement on the policy.
The Globe and Mail did not identify the sources because they were not allowed to reveal the discussions at the party’s closed meetings.
Last month, Ottawa extended its vaccination mandate until the end of June. These mandates also cover federal civil servants and employees in the federally regulated transport sector, including aviation and rail. Three major public sector unions have filed complaints against the mandates, saying they are no longer justified when they are repealed by other governments.
Liberal lawmakers are hearing both vaccinated and unvaccinated voters who say mandates should be revoked. As other governments remove their restrictions, the controversy is becoming more apparent, said Ontario Liberal MP Michael Coto.
He said he has consistently heard from voters who question the value of the domestic air and rail vaccine mandate when they can spend more or less time in bars or cinemas without any rules.
“People now see controversial policies,” he said, “and they are disappointed and need clarity.”
New Brunswick MP Wayne Long said the mandate to travel with a local vaccine has helped vaccinate more people, but it is time to lift it. Unvaccinated “cannot continue to be punished,” he said, adding that there was no scientific evidence to justify national mandates.
Transport Minister Omar Algabra is under enormous pressure to find a solution to the bottlenecks at the airport. This week, he said Ottawa was “on the side of public safety” and continued to evaluate the measure.
The cabinet weighed several options for different vaccine mandates, but made a final decision before the Ontario election, according to three other sources, knowing about the talks.
Mr Trudeau initially opposed vaccine mandates, but changed his mind just before the federal election last summer, where broad mandates were central to his re-election campaign.
On Friday, Chief Public Health Officer Theresa Tam declined to disclose advice she gives to the government on the continuing value of vaccine mandates, but said there are many different data that need to be taken into account. Since March, she said the government is evaluating all federal vaccine mandates.
Studies show that vaccines against COVID-19 are effective in avoiding severe disease, but the booster dose provides much greater protection against the Omicron variant, although it decreases after a few months.
Natalie Grandvo, a researcher at the CHUM Research Center and a specialist in viral infections, noted that vaccines protect against severe outcomes and can reduce the likelihood of transmission and infection of COVID-19, depending on when the person was vaccinated.
“I think the vaccine mandate still helps, but if I had to choose what we have to keep at the moment and have to give something, I would keep the mandate of the mask and remove the mandate for the vaccine,” said Dr. Grandvo. But she said it was difficult to say for sure, in part because the arrival of a new option could change the assessment.
Andrew Seymour, an infectious disease specialist and microbiologist at the Sunnybrook Center for Health Sciences and the University of Toronto, said the lack of research on the impact of vaccine mandates on in-flight transmission means that decisions about them are based on personal judgment. and not science. However, he noted that the definition of “fully vaccinated” as two doses of an approved vaccine is outdated.
With a report by Eric Atkins
Our morning and evening newsletters are written by Globe editors, giving you a brief summary of the most important headlines of the day. Register today.
Add Comment