On Thursday July 15th, Canada’s Minister of Transport, Omar Algebra, announced that cruise ships can resume sailing in Canada as of November 1st. All cruise lines, however, are expected to fully comply with the health requirements implemented by Canadian authorities.
The same day, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau confirmed that decision had been entertained given that the vaccination rate across the country continues make substantial progress. Roughly 50% of Canadians are fully vaccinated, while 80% have received the first dose.
As Canadians have done their part to reduce the spread of Covid-19, our government continues to work hard to safely restart our economy and build back better. We will welcome cruise ships — an important part of our tourism sector — back in Canadian waters for the 2022 season
Omar Alghabra, Canada’s Minister of Transport
As the outlook of the Covid-19 pandemic continues to improve, authorities in Canada look forward to resuming the cruising activities in 2022. The cruise ship industry, which represents more than $4 billion annual input into the Canadian economy and directly and indirectly generates approximately 30,000 jobs. It’s an important part of Canada’s domestic tourism sector.
We know that cruise ship passengers want a Canadian experience in British Columbia, and we know that British Columbians want to welcome them to our cities when it is safe to do so
Rob Fleming, British Columbia’s Minister of Transportation and Infrastructure
Prime Minister Trudeau also announced that the country could expect to start allowing fully vaccinated U.S. citizens and permanent residents into Canada “as of mid-August for non-essential travel”. Specific details would be released at a later stage. For the time being, however, the land border between the US and Canada remains closed to non-essential travel.