TORONTO, June 14, 2022 /CNW/ – The Canadian Federation of Independent Business (CFIB) is pleased the federal government has announced it will end vaccine mandates for domestic travel and outbound international travel. This is welcome news for many Canadians and small businesses in the hospitality, events, travel and tourism sectors.
Ending Canada’s domestic travel mandates is long overdue. Allowing all Canadians to travel by air, train and ship will be a big help to the sectors that were hit the hardest during two years of pandemic and restrictions, and to businesses whose employees need to travel by air or train as part of their jobs.
While most COVID restrictions have lifted and the government has temporarily removed randomized COVID-19 testing at airports for vaccinated travellers, other restrictions remain in place for international travel.
Unvaccinated travelers still have to quarantine on their return to Canada. This is an additional burden on many businesses and their employees, such as truck drivers, that cross borders for work. The federal government has also not provided any clarity on when it will lift restrictions on international travellers who are not vaccinated.
Boosting consumer confidence and attracting visitors by making travelling to and within Canada easier will allow more local businesses to fully recover. Many small firms, particularly those in retail, dining and hospitality, rely on international tourism to make a living. CFIB is urging the federal government to quickly release a plan to lift all remaining travel restrictions.
– Dan Kelly, President, CFIB
The Canadian Federation of Independent Business (CFIB) is Canada’s largest association of small and medium-sized businesses with 95,000 members across every industry and region. CFIB is dedicated to increasing business owners’ chances of success by driving policy change at all levels of government, providing expert advice and tools, and negotiating exclusive savings. Learn more at cfib.ca.
SOURCE Canadian Federation of Independent Business
