Clarification comes day after government spokesperson mistakenly said Canadian truckers would be exempt
All truck drivers crossing the border must be fully vaccinated as of Saturday (Jan 15th), regardless of whether they are Canadian citizens or foreign nationals, the federal government said Thursday.
Confusion over the controversial policy has been widespread since the federal government first announced in mid-November that by Jan. 15, all foreign nationals working as truckers would have to be fully vaccinated to enter Canada.
The same announcement said unvaccinated Canadian truckers would be allowed in, but would be subject to quarantine and testing requirements.
On Wednesday, a spokesperson for the Canada Border Services Agency said the federal government was backing down from that commitment and would allow Canadian truckers to enter the country without having to quarantine even if they were unvaccinated or had received only one dose.
Today, the federal government walked back that statement, saying that Wednesday’s statement was was “provided in error” and that the regulations outlined in November will stand.
Trade associations on both sides of the border had been pushing for a delay to the restriction, which they say would put additional strain on supply chains amid the latest COVID-19 surge and severe worker shortages.
About 10 per cent of the 120,000 Canadian truckers who cross the border may not be able to work those routes because they haven’t been vaccinated, according to the trucking alliance.
Read the full article from CBC News, here.
