Canada To Announce Plans For International Travel Vaccine Passport On Thursday

TORONTO — The federal government is planning to unveil its plans for a vaccine passport designed for international travel on Thursday, CTV News has confirmed.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland are scheduled to speak to reporters at 10 a.m. ET on Thursday following a technical briefing involving several federal departments, including the Public Health Agency of Canada and the Canada Border Services Agency.

With several countries, including the United States, opening its borders to travellers, proof of vaccination for travel has, to date, come through provincial vaccine receipts. A nationwide vaccine passport for travel would make for a uniform document.

It is not clear when the new passport will be available, though Intergovernmental Affairs Minister Dominic LeBlanc said on Oct. 10 that it would be ready “in the next couple of months.”

Canadian travellers will soon need vaccine documentation for almost every mode of transportation, as all employees and passengers in the federally regulated air, rail and marine transportation sectors will need to be fully vaccinated as of Oct. 30, though there will be a grace period until the end of November during which proof of a negative COVID-19 test will be accepted.