MONTREAL -- Members of the Canadian Travel and Tourism Roundtable on Wednesday urged Prime Minister Justin Trudeau to reopen the borders to fully vaccinated foreign travelers.

"Enough is enough," Tourism Montreal President and CEO Yves Lalumière told a news conference. "We're losing another summer," he said, fearing that in a "competitive environment, visitors will choose another destination."

While fully vaccinated Canadians can cross the border with a negative test, non-essential international travellers are still denied access. Meanwhile, countries such as the United States and France are already allowing foreign nationals to enter.

"COVID-19 does not recognize your passport," said Christophe Hennebelle, vice-president of human resources and public affairs for Transat Airlines. He argued that a double-vaccinated international traveller with a negative test result does not pose a higher risk of infection than a Canadian returning home.

"For the past six months, we have been grounded, a situation that is devastating for over 5,000 employees," he added. Until operations resume, "we will continue to accumulate debt, which will eventually have to be repaid."

'A CLEAR PLAN'

Short of an immediate reopening, Aéroports de Montréal president and CEO Philippe Rainville is calling for "a clear plan" so as not to be caught unprepared.

"We need time to accommodate additional manpower," given that many left the industry during the lockdown, he explained. A reopening without notice will "create chaos" and "a serious bottleneck problem," when travelers will all have to be tested on the spot.

Trudeau has previously suggested that 75 per cent of Canadians should be fully vaccinated before letting international visitors in, before suggesting that 80 per cent would be safer. The latest information available on the government website, dated July 3, puts the rate at 36 per cent.

"It's taking leadership," said Michel Leblanc, president of the Board of Trade of Metropolitan Montreal. Anticipating another difficult season, he wants the government to "confirm that all measures to support the tourism industry will continue in the fall".

"We have been asked to show solidarity with the health care system for months", but now "it is the entire tourism industry that is suffering".

TRUDEAU STAYS THE COURSE

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, in the Gaspé region on Wednesday, he reacted to the discontent of the tourism industry.

"I was very happy to meet a lot of tourists in Percé who had come to the Gaspé Peninsula for the first time, from all over Quebec and Ontario, because a lot of Canadians have decided that this year, instead of traveling internationally, they will come to visit our magnificent regions of this country. And that's a good thing," he noted.

He added this new argument to those he has been repeating for several weeks, namely that the pandemic is still not over, that there is no question of endangering the health of Canadians while variants are circulating and that a large majority of Canadians are not fully vaccinated. He also reiterated that there will be announcements of border relief 'in due course'.

IMPATIENCE ABROAD

Several foreign government officials have recently expressed impatience with Canada's refusal to open its borders.

France's ambassador, Kareen Rispal, pleaded in an interview with The Canadian Press on Tuesday that "the borders should be reopened fairly quickly now, so that we can put Canada back on our travel plans," adding that if not, "the French ministers will go to the countries they can go to."

A few weeks ago, U.S. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer called in a press release for the development of a "mutual plan" between the two countries. The Canada-U.S. border is closed to tourists at least until July 21, a date that is likely to be postponed by Trudeau.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published in French on July 14, 2021.

--

This article was produced with financial support from Facebook and The Canadian Press News Fellowships.