Washington, D.C. – Congresswoman Elise Stefanik released the following statement after Canada announced it will require a pre-arrival COVID-19 test obtained outside of Canada for all travelers entering regardless of their trip duration.
“I am disappointed to hear that Canada is reversing their action to drop its testing requirement for Canadian travelers returning to Canada,” Stefanik said. “This is a step backwards in achieving parity for cross-border travel and will add an additional cost and burden on our Canadian neighbors seeking to travel to the North Country. Our communities have suffered enough from the closure of the Northern Border, and it is unnecessary to impose new restrictions that will further disrupt travel. I will continue to work to restore normalcy to our cross-border travel.”
This announcement will go into effect starting December 21.
Since the reopening of the Northern Border, Stefanik has been pushing for parity on both sides and working to restore the cross-border relationship with Canadian partners. She wrote the Canadian Minister of Emergency Preparedness and the Minister of Public Safety to drop Canada’s COVID-19 testing requirement for fully vaccinated individuals entering from the United States. In November, Stefanik met with Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and encouraged Canada to drop its COVID-19 test requirement for those crossing into Canada.
Earlier this week, Stefanik requested the Biden Administration drop its vaccination requirement for essential travelers scheduled to take effect in January.
