Business leaders wary of remaining restrictions ahead of Canada-U.S. land border reopening

They argue that the continued testing requirement is too cumbersome for Canadian business travellers wanting a quick visit to an American destination.

Monday’s reopening of the Canada-U.S. land border is sparking a mixed reaction among Canadian business leaders: They’re excited that people and not just goods will be crossing the border again but are wary of remaining red tape.

The Canadian Chamber of Commerce and the Business Council of Canada say the Canadian requirement for returning travellers to provide a recent, negative molecular test is an unnecessary obstacle to kick-starting business travel and tourism.

They say proof of vaccination is all that should be needed and the test requirement should be scrapped.

They argue that the continued testing requirement is too cumbersome for Canadian business travellers wanting a quick visit to an American destination, and too expensive for families who want a vacation or reunion with loved ones.

“If we believe, as we should, that being fully vaccinated is the best way of minimizing risk, we should be trusting the vaccination systems. We should be monitoring what’s taking place in terms of outbreaks in the two countries,” chamber president Perrin Beatty said in an interview.

“It’s a competitive disadvantage to Canada and North America to have rules that are inconsistent with where most of the world is moving to,” said Goldy Hyder, the president of the Business Council of Canada.

While the U.S. will not require travellers to show a negative COVID-19 test, the Canadian government is not waiving that requirement for citizens and permanent residents when they enter Canada.

That means that when the land border opens for the first time to non-essential travellers since March 2020, it will not be accompanied by an end to a negative COVID-19 test requirement for Canadian travellers.