Canadian truckers were caught in a policy storm that required vaccine proof to haul freight back from the U.S. Effective Oct. 1, the mandate will reportedly end and truck drivers will no longer need to show proof they got the jab.
“Canada’s travel measures successfully mitigated the full impact of Covid-19 for travelers and workers in the transportation sector, and helped keep communities safe,” Canada’s Minister of Transport Omar Alghabra reportedly stated. “Thanks to Canadians who rolled up their sleeves and got vaccinated, we are able to take this great step towards easing measures and returning to normal.”
Truckers protested vehemently when Prime Minister Justin Trudeau implemented the policy. Unvaccinated CDL professionals returning from the U.S. were required to isolate themselves for weeks, effectively putting them out of work. Although a majority of Canada’s truckers willingly received a Covid shot, protests erupted at border crossings and a Freedom Convoy descended on Ottawa. The pushback by independent truckers did not receive the full support of the Canadian Trucking Alliance, which backed the government mandate.
Canadian officials appear to be signaling that the pandemic is largely in the country’s rearview and a state of normalcy is emerging. The Private Motor Truck Council of Canada (PMTC) was reportedly pleased to field the news and promptly urged the U.S. government to follow suit.
“The PMTC is glad to see the border vaccination requirement at the Canadian border come to an end. In our view, this requirement was one that never should have been in place for essential workers, such as truck drivers,” PMTC president Mike Millian reportedly said. “While the Canadian government’s announcement today to end the restrictions on Oct. 1 is welcomed and will help alleviate some of the driver shortage issues by allowing some drivers to return to cross-border work, we still need the U.S. Department of Homeland Security to reciprocate so the Canada-U.S. land border can be fully open again for trade. We will continue to reach out to our friends south of the border and encourage the entry restrictions to end for those entering the U.S. as well.”
On the U.S. side, Covid policies continue to be something of a political football. Democrats staked their policy positions on lockdowns and school closures to slow the spread of Covid. Republicans sought limited restrictions, noting the risk to school-aged children was minuscule and that robust natural immunity was more favorable than the shot. With the Biden Administration falling on the Democrat side of the aisle, it appears another political tug-of-war over border vaccine mandates could be at hand.
That being said, truck driver advocacy organizations in the U.S. are lobbying to end the mandate. The American Trucking Associations is calling to lift the restrictions and the Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association dashed off a letter to the Biden Administration asking to end the policy.
“There is no evidence that truckers have been the source of any coronavirus outbreaks within the United States, suggesting that the cross-border mandate is likely to be having little, if any, effect,” the letter reportedly states.
Sources: trucknews.com, transportdive.com, reuters.com
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