Canadian border guards and officials voted Tuesday to hold a strike because in a few days' time, fully vaccinated U.S. residents will be allowed to enter Canada, ending border restrictions that have been in place since the outbreak began. Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, who embraced the United States, had hoped that the United States would do the same, but Biden decisively refused.
Reuters reported that the Public Service Alliance of Canada and the Customs and Immigration Union said in a joint statement that their 8,500 members voted for the move after negotiations reached an impasse last December.
The strike is scheduled to begin on Aug. 6, and three days later, the U.S.-Canada border will reopen to vaccinated U.S. citizens and permanent residents. Non-essential travel between the two countries has been banned since March 2020. Earlier, the Canadian government minister also confirmed to the outside world that from August 9, vaccinated Americans and permanent residents will be allowed to enter Canada for non-essential travel, this announcement marks the first step in opening the country's borders to all international tourists.
Unions demand higher wages and the right to carry guns in specific areas such as airports, and they also want the Canadian government to confront their toxic workplace problems. A government spokesman told Reuters in a statement that officials were "disappointed" that their proposal had been rejected, saying it was a "fair offer" for union members.
Canada Border Services agency spokeswoman Judith Gadbois-St-Cyr said border officials have shown resilience throughout the outbreak, helping to prevent the spread of the COVID-19 virus and its variants. "We expect our officers to continue to discharge their duties with the highest level of integrity and professionalism," she said. ”
According to Reuters, the strike will undoubtedly affect commercial traffic along the land border between the United States and Canada, and tourism is Canada's fifth-largest industry. Before the pandemic, tourism was Canada's fifth-largest industry, contributing $105 billion to GDP and providing one-tenth of jobs, according to the Canadian Travel Industry Association.
Corinne Pohlmann, senior vice-president for state affairs at the Canadian Federation of Independent Business, said the strike would complicate the problems small businesses face during the pandemic — slower transit times, lack of customers and rising costs. "This is completely detrimental to many small businesses that rely on transit goods or people in transit," Polman said. He said the timing of the strike was "very unfortunate."
But Mark Weber, chairman of the Customs and Immigration Union, told Reuters that the union did not plan the strike to coincide with reopening the U.S. border, noting that the union began a strike vote before "we don't even know when the border will be opened."
Weber still wants them to be able to strike a deal with the federal government without a strike. He also confirmed that their requirements include higher wages, the ability to carry guns in areas such as airports, and tackling the problem of "toxic" workplaces.
Speaking before the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA), officials have demonstrated their resilience by helping to prevent the spread of the virus and its variants, saying, "We expect our officers to continue to discharge their duties with the highest level of integrity and professionalism." ”