Canadians eager to travel to the United States are fed up with the government’s travel restrictions.
According to a new survey by Nanos Research, 63% of Canadians believe all restrictions on travel across the Canada-US border should be lifted before the end of the year.
When asked what the timeline should be for ending the restrictions, 34% said this fall, 15% said immediately and 14% said this summer. Only 16% of respondents believe the restrictions should be lifted next year.
When broken down regionally, Canadians from the Prairies were more likely to say the travel rules should be eliminated immediately, with 28% of respondents saying they were comfortable with the border reopening tomorrow.
On Thursday, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said the government is currently looking at what rules could be eased “in the coming weeks” to allow fully-vaccinated international travellers cross the border. For unvaccinated tourists, Trudeau says it’s going to be “quite a while” before Canada is ready for them.
“We will continue the reopening of our borders, but we will do it in a way that ensures the ongoing safety of all Canadians,” he said.
Restrictions on travel across the Canada-US border have been in place since March 2020. The government has extended the restrictions on a monthly basis ever since.
In recent weeks, a number of prominent US officials have called for an end to the border closure.
In June, US Congressman Brian Higgins (NY-D) had some harsh words for the Trudeau government when he learned the Canada-US border would remain closed for another month.
“There’s no other way to say: another month’s delay is bulls–t,” tweeted the Congressman.
New York Congresswoman and GOP Conference Chair Elise Stefanik also called for the Canada-US border to begin reopening in June.
In a letter penned to Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas, Stefanik wrote that Canada’s border restrictions have been largely unfair to Americans, noting that the US allows Canadians much more freedom.
US Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer also argued for the Canada-US border to reopen as residents of both countries have suffered from the closure for too long.
