OTTAWA (LifeSiteNews) – Despite calls from some Members of Parliament (MPs) within Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s Liberal Party, Canada’s leader says he won’t lift travel COVID jab mandates yet while the country is still in a “pandemic.”
In speaking to reporters Wednesday, Trudeau claimed his reasoning is that the COVID travel jab mandate as well as other border measures are ”anchored in science.”
“The reality is, as much as people would like to pretend we’re not, we’re still in a pandemic. There are Canadians who die every single day because of COVID-19 in our hospitals,” Trudeau said.
He then said, despite the fact it is still technically not yet summer, that Canada is “at risk” from possible “new variants” as “fall approaches.”
Trudeau then noted, “I know people are eager to get back to things we love, but what will also further damage our tourism industry is if we get another wave.”
On Wednesday, top leaders from Canada’s travel and tourism industry demanded that Trudeau’s “unscientific and unnecessary COVID policies,” including jab mandates, be gone by June 15.
This came after the Trudeau government said Tuesday that its travel COVID jab mandate, as well as virus border measures, will remain in place until “at least” June 30.
On Monday, the Trudeau Liberals with the help of the NDP voted against a motion from Conservative Party of Canada (CPC) MP Melissa Lantsman calling for the return of pre-pandemic rules and service levels for travel. The motion failed to pass with 201 against and only 112 for.
Only one Liberal MP, Joël Lightbound, who serves in a Quebec riding, voted for Lantsman’s motion calling for a return to pre-pandemic travel rules.
However, Ontario Liberal MP Nate Erskine-Smith said that COVID travel vaccine mandates are no longer “justified” and should end.
“I abstained on the Conservative motion to immediately revert to pre-pandemic travel measures. I didn’t support the idea of dropping masks right away, but I’ve also made it clear to the government that a two-dose vaccine mandate without accommodation is no longer justified,” Erskine-Smith noted.
Minister of Transport Minister Omar Alghabra also defended the COVID jab travel mandates but did admit there will be a time when they eventually will be dropped.
In speaking on the CBCs Power & Politics Wednesday, Alghabra was pressed by show host Vassy Kapelos to explain why Canada still has a domestic vaccine passport in place.
“Obviously, these measures will always be reassessed and assessed, and we’re constantly having discussions with our experts about when is it the right time to adjust this measure or that measure,” Alghabra said.
He then noted that the same thing applies to “domestic travel.”
“These measures are being done to protect the health and safety of Canadians. Just like mask-wearing, as well, on airplanes, on trains. These are done to protect the health and safety of Canadians,” Alghabra said.
“There will be a time when these measures are adjusted or lifted, but we want to always err on the side of safety … I think Canadians expect a responsible government to do so.”
Last year, Trudeau put in place a mandate that in effect bans those who have chosen not to get the COVID vaccines to travel ban by air, rail, or sea. The travel vaccine mandate bans Canadians from flying within Canada as well as out of the country. Very few exceptions are given.
Canadians who are vaccine free can fly home from abroad; however, they must provide a negative test and quarantine for 14 days upon their return.
Foreign nationals who are not jabbed are usually barred from entry into Canada, but Trudeau has made an exception for Ukrainian refugees.
The International Air Transport Association (IATA) said the Canadian government should end at once all COVID travel restrictions, including vaccine mandates, as has the Canadian Airport Council.
Even the CEO of Canada’s second-largest airline WestJet said this week that Trudeau’s travel COVID vaccine mandates should be “dropped” right away.
Trudeau’s vaccine mandate is being challenged in/a> court by People’s Party of Canada leader and former MP Maxime Bernier.