By: Rowan Czech-Maurice
Upon my return to Canada after the Labour Day weekend, I uploaded a photo of Prime Minister Justin Trudeau wearing his grotesque blackface costume instead of the required vaccine documents.
This image was accepted. The Border Services Offer asked no questions, nor did he challenge the inadequate proof of my vaccination status.
The governing Trudeau Liberals tout the ArriveCAN app as a tool to facilitate expedited and modernized cross-border travel in the COVID era. Yet, it’s been a source of controversy, scorn and ridicule since its inception in April 2020.
Use of ArriveCAN has been mandatory for air travellers since November 2020, while travellers crossing into Canada at land borders are obligated to report in the app since February 2021.
Critics have questioned ArriveCAN’s ability to provide tangible benefits besides documenting travellers’ medical status.
Meanwhile, its impact on cross-border travel has been catastrophic. For example, Buffalo and Fort Erie Public Bridge Authority statistics show a 41% reduction in cars crossing the border in July 2022 versus July 2019, the pre-pandemic era.
A recent trip I made on foot from Canada to Niagara Falls, New York, underscored the disparity between Canadian and American non-commercial border operations. The line of cars seeking to cross into Canada was backed up far across the bridge over the Niagara River and into the New York side — forcing their local police to direct traffic. There was no delay in entering the United States.
Pedestrians also regularly struggle to upload proof of vaccination. Several times, I’ve observed tourists wanting to enter Canada but being unable to upload vaccination proof due to technological glitches. This is just another ArriveCan barrier for tourists interested in cross-border travel.
Time will tell what will become of ArriveCAN. But, for now, it’s another testament to the incompetence of Justin Trudeau and the Liberals, who can’t successfully implement their policies.
NOTE: The views and actions espoused in this story are those of the author alone, and are published here for informational and journalistic purposes only.
