Please be advised: The information presented below is now obsolete. It was based on reports and information originally received on January 12, 2022. However, one day later, Canada’s federal government announced that those original reports had been released in error. Readers are directed to an updated article for the most up-to-date information concerning Canada’s trucker vaccine mandate.
Miller Thomson’s Transportation & Logistics (“T&L”) Group has been made aware of reports indicating that despite its previously-announced intentions, Canada’s federal government will not be imposing COVID-19 testing and quarantine requirements on unvaccinated or partially-vaccinated Canadian truck drivers crossing the border back into Canada from the United States. The new rules would have gone into effect on January 15, 2022.
A spokesperson with the Canada Border Services Agency has advised that unvaccinated or partially vaccinated truck drivers with a “right of entry” into Canada (i.e. Canadian citizens, permanent residents and those registered under the federal Indian Act) will continue to be exempt from all testing and quarantine requirements.
It is not clear whether this announcement signals a wholesale reversal of the federal government’s plans to impose testing and quarantine requirements on Canadian truck drivers returning from the United States, or simply a temporary decision not to enforce the new rules until further notice. As yet, there have been no Orders-in-Council or formal press releases confirming this news or providing further details.
In any event, the announcement does not apply to American or other foreign national truck drivers, who are still slated to be denied entry into Canada as of January 15, 2022 unless they are fully vaccinated with an approved COVID-19 vaccine.
Also unaffected at this time are similar requirements imposed by the American federal government on cross-border truckers, including Canadian truckers, entering the United States. Those measures are currently slated to enter into force on January 22, 2022.
Clients should bear in mind as well that there have been no changes to the federal government’s existing COVID-19 vaccination requirements for federally-regulated Canadian and foreign crew members the air, rail and marine sectors. Those requirements remain in force.
The situation is changing rapidly. Our team is closely monitoring developments and will provide updates as soon as they are available.
As always, Miller Thomson’s T&L Group stands ready to advise and assist clients in all sectors as they react to the constantly changing Canadian legal landscape.
