Closing the border ‘massive,’ analyst says
TRADE FLOW UNAFFECTED AS NON-ESSENTIAL TRAVEL RESTRICTED
For the first time since Canadian Confederation in 1867, Canada and the U.S. are closing the joint border to most travellers as they fight the spread of the COVID-19 virus.
U.S. President Donald Trump and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau agreed on Wednesday morning to bar travellers crossing the world’s longest land border for “recreation and tourism” purposes.
The partial closure will begin in the next few days, at which point only “essential” or “urgent” travel will be permitted for the foreseeable future, as well as the transit of goods.
“I spoke to President Donald Trump this morning and we have agreed that both Canada and the United States will temporarily restrict all non-essential travel across the border,” Trudeau told reporters Wednesday.
“In both our countries, we’re encouraging citizens to stay home. This collaborative and reciprocal measure is an extension of that,” he added.
Hundreds of thousands of people, as well as $2.7 billion in goods and services, cross the 8,891 kilometre-long border between the U.S. and Canada daily. The U.S. is by far Canada’s most important trading partner.
Thus, in order to ensure that food, medical supplies and all other essential goods continue to flow between both countries, the Trudeau government assured that supply chains would still be able to circulate between countries.
“These restrictions will in no way impede trade between Canada and the U.S.,” Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland said.
“The Canada-u.s. border is the symbol of an unprecedented partnership. Every day, $2.7 billion-worth of goods and services passes through that border and that trade is essential to both our countries. Our business and way of life depend on that flow,” added Minister of Public Safety Bill Blair.
During a separate press conference Wednesday, Trump said he expects the partial closure to last 30 days and confirmed that there would be no restrictions on trade … “at this moment.”
Trudeau also kept the door open to more drastic measures to combat the spread of the COVID-19 virus, such as prohibiting travel within Canada and even a countrywide lockdown.
“We’re not taking any options off the table. Every day, we’ve been announcing new measures … and we will continue to look at measures as they become necessary,” Trudeau said.
“The Emergencies Act is a significant step, not one that we feel we need today, but not one that we are closing the door to in the future, if necessary”, he added.
These measures are unprecedented and will have a significant impact on both countries’ economies, says Robert Falconer, a researcher specializing in immigration and border issues at the University of Calgary.
“This is massive. We’ve never had an indefinite closure like this in the history of Confederation. Visa-free travel between Canada and the United States has been a founding part of our relationship. Even after the 9/11 attack, Canada and the U.S. kept cross border traffic going during that period,” Falconer told the National Post.
According to Statistics Canada, 25 million Americans travelled to Canada in 2019, and Canada-u.s. travel related transactions totalled over $37 billion in 2018.
“I’m not concerned about essential supply chains like food and manufacturing. What I’m more worried about is business that involves two companies from either country meeting. That kind of interpersonal business will be extremely limited”, Falconer said.
The joint U.s.-canada announcement will likely come as a relief to the growing chorus of Canadian public health officials who have expressed concern about increased spread of the COVID-19 virus in Canada coming from Americans.
On Monday, British Columbia’s Health Minister Adrian Dix blasted the Trudeau government for not yet closing the southern border all the while asking Americans to stop visiting the province. Neighbouring Washington state is among the areas hardest hit by COVID-19 in the U.S. This week, Quebec Premier François Legault also said he’d prefer not to have any American tourists visiting Canada for the time being.
When faced with questions regarding the irregular border crossing at Roxham Road near Saint-bernard-de-lacolle, Quebec, Trudeau said all asylum seekers should be quarantined for 14 days. But he stopped short of saying the passage would be closed off by police.
“All the measures are being taken to make sure the situation is under control and that anyone who passes through there is quarantined for 14 days.”
These measures were also announced as Canada closed its other borders to most non-citizens outside of the U.S., as announced by the prime minister on Monday.
WE WILL CONTINUE TO LOOK AT MEASURES AS THEY BECOME NECESSARY.