Starting tomorrow October 30, 2021 Canadians who travel by any means even domestically face a requirement to present proof of vaccination in order to take their trip.
From October 30 to November 29, there will be a short transition period when travellers who don’t yet qualify as fully vaccinated will be able to travel if they can show a valid COVID-19 molecular test taken within 72 hours of travel.
This will definitely complicate things for Canadians (or those staying in Canada) who aren’t vaccinated and therefore won’t be able to present the required proof in order to board their method of transport.
The policy can be found on the website of Transport Canada where it’ll be constantly updated.
Vaccination is one of the most effective ways to fight COVID-19 and the Government of Canada is taking action to better protect the health and safety of travellers and to increase travel safety. It will also help to get as many Canadians vaccinated as possible.
Starting October 30, 2021: if you are 12 years of age or older, you will need to be fully vaccinated in order to board:
- domestic or international flights departing from airports in Canada
- VIA Rail and Rocky Mountaineer trains
- non-essential passenger vessels, such as cruise ships, on voyages of 24 hours or more departing from ports in Canada, once voyages resume
To board your flight, train or ship, if you are 12 years of age or older, you must:
- have received at least 2 doses of an accepted COVID-19 vaccine or a mix of 2 accepted vaccines
- or at least 1 dose of the Janssen/Johnson & Johnson vaccine
- have received your second dose at least 14 days prior to the day you travel
- Example: if your second dose was anytime on Thursday July 1, then Friday July 16 would be the first day that you meet the 14 day condition
- have no signs or symptoms of COVID-19
- bring official proof of vaccination with you for your trip
- You can get proof of vaccination from your province or territory
- If you were vaccinated in another country, use the proof of vaccination requirements to enter Canada
From October 30 to November 29, there will be a short transition period when travellers who don’t yet qualify as fully vaccinated will be able to travel if they can show a valid COVID-19 molecular test taken within 72 hours of travel.
Starting November 30, all travellers must be fully vaccinated, with very limited exceptions to address specific situations such as emergency travel, and those medically unable to be vaccinated. More specific details on these exceptions will be provided, following consultation and engagement with stakeholders.
The Government of Canada advises all persons planning to travel to and within Canada to get vaccinated as soon as possible. Travellers should make plans now to ensure they are fully vaccinated before November 30. This will ensure they are able to travel by air, VIA rail or Rocky Mountaineer trains after their arrival in Canada. …
If you’re only transiting through Canada to reach another country, these vaccination requirements do not apply.
This would basically prevent anyone from traveling within Canada unless you find a way by bus service though I’m not aware of any trans-Canada bus service since Greyhound Canada shut down their domestic operations for good in May of 2021.
I’m honestly not sure how this will play out or if there are any legal challenges on the way that would throw a wrench into this policy, at least allowing those unvaccinated passengers to continue providing negative tests in order to be able to travel.
This CBC article quotes Trudeau in relation to this new regulation:
… “For the vast, vast majority of people, the rules are very simple — to travel, you’ve got to be vaccinated,” Trudeau said during the same briefing.
“If you haven’t gotten your shots yet but want to travel this winter, let me be clear, there will only be a few extremely narrow exceptions, like a valid medical condition.”
He said the government is working with Health Canada to define those exemptions, but warned they will be onerous to obtain.
“Let me say that simply having a personal conviction that vaccines are bad will not be nearly enough to qualify for an exemption.” …
I find this a very scary and worrying development. Canada is the second largest country on earth and to prevent citizens from traveling within their own country just because they don’t adhere to the governments preferred health policy is ridiculous.
The best option would be to continue requiring test results (probably 24-48hr max) or alternatively proof of vaccination but apparently Trudeau is going another, extreme direction here. I doubt something like this this is ever going to fly (literally) in the U.S. and that’s a good thing.
That being said even if this rule wasn’t in place by law the airlines could probably still implement it as condition for transport simply because as a private business they can do so.
I wonder how many people will need to rent a car or van to travel cross country soon. I did drive from Vancouver to Toronto once and it was quite scenic. Probably not so much a pleasure during winter.
Conclusion
A new health policy concerning domestic travel comes into effect in Canada starting tomorrow, October 30th. Travelers will be required to present proof of vaccination before being able to board most methods of transportation such as aircraft, VIA Rail trains, and non-essential passenger vessels such as cruise ships. From October 30 to November 29, there will be a transition period during which non-vaccinated individuals can provide a recent (72 hr) negative test result to board.
Public transportation such as Metro lines, local train services and ferries are not impacted by this new regulation as these are considered essential.
