Canada, U.S. not always in lockstep on borders, envoy says

U.S. maintains restrictions for 30 days

WASHINGTON • Just because Canada and the United States worked closely together to restrict travel across their shared border doesn’t mean they were always going to move in lockstep when the time came to reopen it, Ottawa’s envoy to Washington said Friday.

There’s been “enormous” co-ordination and information shared between the two regarding the border since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, said Kirsten Hillman, Canada’s ambassador to the U.S. “But co-ordination doesn’t mean you’re going to do exactly the same thing,” Hillman told a Wilson Center panel discussion alongside interim U.S. counterpart Arnold Chacon.

It was Hillman’s first public appearance since the U.S. confirmed Wednesday it would maintain its travel restrictions on non-essential visitors from Canada for at least another 30 days.

But her message was the same one she’s been delivering for weeks: that each country would ultimately make its own determinations.

The U.S. decision to extend the travel limits came just two days after Ottawa declared fully vaccinated American citizens and permanent residents would be allowed back Aug. 9, with the rest of the world to follow Sept. 7.

The restrictions have always differed significantly, Hillman noted — Canadian air travellers have been able to fly to the U.S., where the bulk of the restrictions apply mainly to land crossings, while Canada has restricted all discretionary travel from south of the border.

Officials at DHS cited the rampant spread of the Delta variant of COVID-19 as part of their decision — which includes Mexico — and promised to keep the lines of communication open.