As rollout of vaccines continue to take centre stage in Canada and the United States, some politicians in America have started calling on the administration of Joe Biden to reopen the Canada-U.S. border this summer.
In a letter addressed to the President of United States, Rep. Brian Higgins of New York asked Joe Biden to liaise with Prime Minister Justin Trudeau for “a partial re-opening of the Northern Border by Memorial Day of this year with a full re-opening by July 4.”
Higgins, who is also the Chairperson of the congressional Northern Border Caucus, wrote that the current Canada-U.S. border closure “tears at the fabric of our community and is a critical problem for individuals, families, and businesses.”
He wrote: “Given the economic and social costs the border closure has had on the region, we must prioritize efforts to expand essential traveler exceptions and plan for an incremental re-opening now.”
The request came after Biden’s recent announcement that any American who wants aCOVID-19 vaccine would get one by the end of May.
While talking to CTV News’ Washington correspondent, Richard Madan, Higgins said that vaccination numbers must be in line with the lifting of public health measures which include border restrictions.
He said: “Sometimes you have to push, and there’s a lot of priorities. My job is to make opening the U.S.-Canadian border a number 1 priority for this administration.”
In January, Higgins co-signed a letter with 23 other members of Congress requesting the Biden administration to start making plans to reopen the Canada-U.S. border to non-essential travel.
Canada howver said it was too soon.
