Here’s the latest on what you need to know about Canada-U.S. border rules and why your neighbours to the south may not be visiting for a while.
Gone are the days when Canadians and Americans could freely drive across their shared border for a quick shopping trip or to visit family and friends.
Now, the Canada-U.S. land border that was once wide open is closed to non-essential travel, affecting the lives of many people on both sides.
Here’s the latest on what you need to know about Canada-U.S. border rules and why our neighbours to the south may not be visiting for a while.
When will the Canada-U.S. border reopen?
It came as no surprise to many people when the federal government announced last month that the Canada-U.S. land border — which closed on March 21 to non-essential traffic — would remain shut until at least Aug. 21.
Canadians can still fly to the U.S., but that rule isn’t reciprocal: Canada prohibits U.S. visitors from entering via all modes of transport.
Canada and the U.S. review their border closure agreement every 30 days. Several experts in different fields have told CBC News that they predict the border won’t reopen until sometime next year.
The main reason: COVID-19 cases are still surging in several U.S. states.
“It doesn’t seem to be getting any better in the U.S.,” said U.S. Immigration lawyer Len Saunders, whose office sits close to the Canadian border in Blaine, Wash. He believes the border could stay closed for another six months.
“There’s really no reason why the Canadian government, at this point, would want to open it up and subject Canadians to an increased rate of COVID infections.”
Many Canadians have also made it clear that they want the border to stay shut for now.
When Leger Marketing asked 1,500 Canadians last month if they thought the Canada-U.S. border should reopen at the end of July, 86 per cent of respondents said they were opposed to the idea.
In early July, 29 members of the U.S. Congress sent a joint letter to U.S. Homeland Security and the Canadian government. In it, they asked that both countries start working on a phased reopening of the border.
One member of Congress posted the letter on Twitter and was bombarded with angry comments from Canadians demanding the border stay shut. Some even suggested that Canada build a wall.
NOOOooooooOOOOOO !!!!!! pic.twitter.com/j4lkshd92B
Given public opinion, economist Moshe Lander said it would be “political suicide” for Canadian politicians to contemplate reopening the border right now.
“As long as Canadians don’t feel safe, then why force open that border when there’s no st