Trudeau acknowledges charges in Nijjar killing, calls for commitment to democracy
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has acknowledged the charges laid Friday in relation to the murder of B.C. Sikh activist Hardeep Singh Nijjar.
Just because Canada and the United States worked closely together to restrict travel across their shared border doesn't mean they were always going to move in lockstep when the time came to reopen it, Ottawa's envoy to Washington said Friday.
There's been "enormous" co-ordination and information shared between the two regarding the border since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, said Kirsten Hillman, Canada's ambassador to the U.S.
"But co-ordination doesn't mean you're going to do exactly the same thing," Hillman told a Wilson Center panel discussion alongside interim U.S. counterpart Arnold Chacon.
It was Hillman's first public appearance since the U.S. confirmed Wednesday it would maintain its travel restrictions on non-essential visitors from Canada for at least another 30 days.
But her message was the same one she's been delivering for weeks: that each country would ultimately make its own determinations.
The U.S. decision to extend the travel limits came just two days after Ottawa declared fully vaccinated American citizens and permanent residents would be allowed back Aug. 9, with the rest of the world to follow Sept. 7.
The restrictions have always differed significantly, Hillman noted -- Canadian air travellers have always been able to fly to the U.S., where the bulk of the restrictions apply mainly to land crossings, while Canada has restricted all discretionary travel from south of the border.
"We both are also committed to making decisions based on science and the advice of experts -- and those are our experts, our science, our experts, our country, what is happening for us on the ground," she said.
"The U.S. is doing the same: it's making decisions based on their situation on the ground."
Chacon, who agreed with Hillman's assessment of the "stellar" teamwork to date between the two countries, would only say that discussions about the border are ongoing and will continue.
"We continue to review our travel restrictions, and any decisions about reopening travel are going to be guided by our public health and medical experts," Chacon said from Ottawa, parroting the Biden administration's position.
"We take this very, very seriously. But I think we're in a good place and the trajectory is very promising."
Officials at DHS specifically cited the rampant spread of the Delta variant of COVID-19 as part of their decision -- which includes Mexico -- and promised to keep the lines of communication open.
But the apparent divergence has angered U.S. residents who have been waiting for months for the chance to visit Canadian friends, family and vacation properties, as well as the members of Congress who represent them.
New York Rep. Elise Stefanik, a Republican, denounced the decision earlier this week as "absolutely and unequivocally unacceptable," joining a growing cadre of angry U.S. lawmakers that includes Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer and the entire congressional delegation for Maine.
Rep. Brian Higgins, a New York Democrat who has led the charge against the restrictions, described himself as "infuriated" with what he called an "incomprehensible" extension.
Border experts say the delay may be related to reluctance to reopen the U.S.-Mexico border, given the existing refugee crisis there, and the fear of political blowback if travel from Canada is allowed a head start.
There's also the added element of whether or not the U.S., where only 57 per cent of eligible Americans have had a full course of a COVID-19 vaccine, will make proof of vaccination a condition of entry.
The White House has already made clear it does not support requiring vaccination credentials in the U.S., a country famous for its fierce guardianship of personal liberties.
John Adams, a Florida resident who owns a vacation property on Vancouver Island, has been crowdfunding a cross-border television and internet ad campaign against the two governments in recent weeks to convince them to lower the barriers.
His latest campaign-style attack ad, which began airing Friday, accuses Biden of "holding Canadian citizens hostage," complete with famous images of blindfolded prisoners held in Iran during the 1980 hostage crisis there.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published July 23, 2021.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has acknowledged the charges laid Friday in relation to the murder of B.C. Sikh activist Hardeep Singh Nijjar.
Sheldon Keefe told his players hockey history would remember them one way or another.
A man was denied a $5,000 payout from his brother after a B.C. tribunal dismissed his claim disputing how many kittens were born in a litter.
Three bodies recovered in an area of Baja California are likely to be those of the two Australians and an American who went missing last weekend during a camping and surfing trip, the state prosecutor’s office said Saturday.
Cabinet minister Dominic LeBlanc insists he's not planning a leadership campaign to head the Liberal party, should current leader and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau resign, seemingly quashing rumours he's planning to make a move for his boss' job.
Princess Anne paid tribute to veterans buried at a cemetery in British Columbia today, laying a wreath to honour the more than 2,500 military personnel and family members buried there.
Bank of Canada governor Tiff Macklem navigates a political minefield every time he testifies before the House of Commons finance committee.
Amid scientists' warnings that nations need to transition away from fossil fuels to limit climate change, Canadians are still lukewarm on electric vehicles, according to a study conducted by Nanos Research for CTV News.
How legitimate are claims by some content creators that the average person can earn passive income from social media platforms like TikTok and Instagram? Personal finance columnist Christopher Liew says it's quite possible, if you're willing to put in the initial time and effort.
Alberta Ballet's double-bill production of 'Der Wolf' and 'The Rite of Spring' marks not only its final show of the season, but the last production for twin sisters Alexandra and Jennifer Gibson.
A British Columbia mayor has been censured by city council – stripping him of his travel and lobbying budgets and removing him from city committees – for allegedly distributing a book that questions the history of Indigenous residential schools in Canada.
Three men in Quebec from the same family have fathered more than 600 children.
A group of SaskPower workers recently received special recognition at the legislature – for their efforts in repairing one of Saskatchewan's largest power plants after it was knocked offline for months following a serious flood last summer.
A police officer on Montreal's South Shore anonymously donated a kidney that wound up drastically changing the life of a schoolteacher living on dialysis.
Since 1932, Montreal's Henri Henri has been filled to the brim with every possible kind of hat, from newsboy caps to feathered fedoras.
Police in Oak Bay, B.C., had to close a stretch of road Sunday to help an elephant seal named Emerson get safely back into the water.
Out of more than 9,000 entries from over 2,000 breweries in 50 countries, a handful of B.C. brews landed on the podium at the World Beer Cup this week.
Raneem, 10, lives with a neurological condition and liver disease and needs Cholbam, a medication, for a longer and healthier life.