Getting the U.S. border vaccine mandate lifted should be a priority for Trudeau

The lack of reciprocity on border entry requirements is an ugly policy relic that discourages political healing.

Today, no matter where someone fell on the spectrum of vaccine politics during the height of the pandemic, Canadians increasingly want to move beyond pandemic politics. Many Canadians want to get on with healing rifts that divided families and neighbors throughout the pandemic. 

But one obstacle in that path is the public silence from the Canadian federal government on a pandemic policy set by the American government that is still in effect, and impacts many in Canada.

In October last year, the Canadian government lifted all vaccine requirements for crossing the Canadian border. The move came near the third anniversary of the start of the COVID-19 pandemic and one year after a federal election in which vaccination politics played prominently at the ballot box.

However, no similar move has been made by Canada’s neighbor to the south. The United States has maintained a vaccine mandate that denies entry to foreign nationals who are not fully vaccinated against COVID-19. 

Arguably the impact of this policy is felt most by Canadians due to the sheer size of the border the two countries share, and the interconnectedness of both countries' trade and society. For example, at a time when supply chain management issues are still a significant concern, the Canadian Trucking Alliance - who denounced the 2022 trucker convoy protests - recently increased their calls for the Americans to lift their requirement, citing negative economic consequences. Stories of blended Canadian and American families separated by the restriction are still regularly reported. And the restriction has undoubtedly impacted American business operations in cross-border communities and American tourism operators who rely on Canadian clients.

So with all these reasons in play, why haven't the Americans lifted this restriction that disproportionately impacts Canada, one of its most strategic allies and important trading partners?

The answer is politics.

On the American side, President Joe Biden's administration has signaled its intent to allow their coronavirus public health emergency to expire in May of this year, citing a need to have time to ensure an orderly transition out of the last vestiges of pandemic policies. However, it's unclear whether or not that means the border vaccine requirement will be lifted at the same time.

In response, in early February 2023, the United States House of Representatives passed a bill to lift the measure. The bill passed with bipartisan support and was sent to the Senate. However, the Senate has not yet taken up the bill.

In response to the passage of the bill, the White House issued an ambiguous statement that left many scratching their heads on what the Biden administration's position on the subject actually was.

But in terms of this policy being an American domestic political irritant, the policy only applies to foreign nationals, not citizens. So there hasn’t been mass public outcry within the United States for the policy to change.

This political reality means that the Americans have been left with a leverage point for their relations with Canada. And to date, it's been an effective one because of the political corner Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has painted himself in. Trudeau leaned heavily on vaccine mandate politics to build a voter coalition in the 2021 federal general election, leaving little political room to maneuver his position on pandemic policies thereafter. 

However, times may be changing. Facing a pandemic-weary electorate, numerous political scandals, and an affordability crisis, Trudeau could be well served to send a message to the public that he is willing to move on from pandemic politics by publicly advocating for the Americans to lift this restriction.

If he took this position, Trudeau would be backed by science and experts, including a study from the University of British Columbia that suggested that the public health benefits of border measures waned over time. Trudeau would also have the backing of numerous Canadian Members of Parliament and mayors, who wrote to Trudeau and Biden last year. He'd also have bipartisan support in the United States. Representative Brian Higgins, a Democrat from New York, has called for the vaccination requirement to be lifted, as have Democratic Senators Jon Testor and Kirsten Gillibrand, and Republican Senators Marco Rubio and Rick Scott.

Those who might say that the solution to the problem is easy - for people who want to enter the United States to get vaccinated - are ignoring reality. In the fourth year of COVID, and after two years of divisive vaccine politics, people chosen to be unvaccinated will likely stay that way. The utility of restrictions designed nearly two years ago to encourage people to vaccinate has expired. Perpetuating them now serves to delay healing among citizens who want to move past the politics of the pandemic and unite on urgent matters like affordability.

During Biden's planned state visit later this month, Trudeau will have the perfect opportunity to take a public position on this issue.

Here's hoping that Trudeau does the right thing.