Canadian truck drivers who are unvaccinated will need to quarantine afterall, when crossing the border.
It was reported earlier this week that federal officials had dropped the requirement..
But a joint government statement late yesterday said information of a reversal of the mandate, was provided “in error.”
In a news release, Minister of Health Jean-Yves Duclos, Minister of Transport Omar Alghabra and Minister of Public Safety Marco Mendicino stated, “On November 19th, 2021, we announced that as of January 15th, 2022, certain categories of travellers who are currently exempt from entry requirements will only be allowed to enter the country if they are fully vaccinated with one of the vaccines approved for entry into Canada. These groups include several essential service providers, including truck drivers. Let us be clear: This has not changed. The information shared yesterday was provided in error. Our teams have been in touch with industry representatives to ensure they have the correct information.”
Executive Director for the Atlantic Provinces Trucking Association Jean-Marc Picard says this has caused a lot of confusion and frustration for carriers, “We knew it was coming so we were preparing for it. We got a little bit of good news but at the same time, not even a day after, it was reversed so. We are back to square one and we are just going to try to manage the situation as best as we can.”
Picard says trucking companies have taken great leadership and are promoting and educating staff about vaccinations, but the Association does not have the Authority to mandate them.
But he adds, at last check around 85 per cent of the general population of truck drivers were double vaxxed.
“If we lose any kind of drivers because of this, it is going to have a major impact on the supply chain. Depending on what you are moving, what is being traded, some things are going to be delayed and we’ll probably have to focus on what’s important,” Picard says.
The United States also has a vaccine mandate that is set to go into effect on January 22nd.
Picard says it’s unclear whether unvaccinated truck drivers crossing the border into the US will have to quarantine, or if they will turned away altogether.
He expects negotiations with the American Trucking Association will be ongoing over the next few days.
“There is a truck across the border every five seconds. Biggest trading partners, lots of goods coming and going to and from the US. Whether it is food or medical supplies or lumber, there’s huge volumes that are impacted by this. It’s a $650 billion that is going to be disrupted by this mandate. We can’t afford that, and we can’t afford to lose any drivers. We can’t afford to shake up the supply chain because it is very fragile right now,” Picard adds.
