OTTAWA, Dec 1 (Reuters) - Canada will not agree to lifting a
ban on non-essential travel with the United States until the
coronavirus outbreak is significantly under control around the
world, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said on Tuesday.
Trudeau's comments were a clear indication that the border
restrictions will last well into 2021. The two neighbors agreed
to the ban in March and have rolled it over on a monthly basis
ever since.
The ban does not affect trade. The two countries have
highly integrated economies and Canada sends 75% of its goods
exports to the United States every month.
"Until the virus is significantly more under control
everywhere around the world, we're not going to be releasing the
restrictions at the border," Trudeau told the Canadian
Broadcasting Corp. when asked about the issue.
"We are incredibly lucky that trade in essential goods, in
agricultural products, in pharmaceuticals is flowing back and
forth as it always has," he said.
Trudeau spoke the day after his minority Liberal government
said the budget deficit would hit a historic C$381.6 billion
($294.7 billion) on COVID-19 aid and promised to spend an
additional C$100 billion in stimulus.
Trudeau, who relies on other parties to govern, would be
toppled if the House of Commons votes against the measures but
he dismissed that as unlikely.
"I am reasonably confident none of the opposition parties
wants an election right now," he later told reporters.
The border restrictions are opposed by the travel industry,
hit by a slumping number of tourists.
But the premiers of Canada's major provinces say they have
no interest in re-opening the border as long as cases of
COVID-19 escalate in the United States.
A second wave is also sweeping across Canada, where
authorities are starting to re-impose restrictions on businesses
and limit the size of gatherings.
($1 = 1.2949 Canadian dollars)
(Reporting by David Ljunggren;
Editing by Bernadette Baum and Aurora Ellis)