Canadian Seniors Call on Ottawa to Drop Pre-Departure PCR Testing Requirements

‘Return to Affordable Travel’ 

Canada’s seniors joined the Canadian Travel and Tourism Roundtable ("The Roundtable"), today at a press conference at Toronto’s Royal York Hotel.

They called for the federal government to drop onerous and expensive pre-departure PCR testing as well as other “unnecessary and non-science-based” barriers to international travel.

The call comes as up to one million Canadian seniors, according to Michael MacKenzie, Executive Director of the Canadian Snowbird Association, are preparing to spend at least part of the winter season in the South.

He points out that at up to $200 for one PCR test, the costs of returning to Canada following a trip abroad are “cost-prohibitive.”

He also says the rules are unfair, with “fully vaccinated and unvaccinated Canadians being treated the same.”

ACTA’s president, Wendy Paradis, added that Canada’s rules go against many of its peers in G20 countries.

In fact, the Roundtable points out that, "Many countries have recognized that requiring pre-departure and arrival tests for vaccinated travellers is redundant and have exempted fully vaccinated travellers from testing requirements, including France, Portugal, Germany and the United Kingdom."

Other countries which do require testing, like the U.S., accept the less-expensive and more accessible antigen tests, rather than PCR tests which are required by Canadian authorities.

Paradis also pointed out that any testing at all goes against the recommendations of the government’s own science panel, which in MAY this year, published advice that pre-departure testing was not necessary.

"Bookings are on the rise, but the travel and tourism industry is bracing for cancellations,” she said.

“Confusion around the rules, the border and testing is creating an environment of uncertainty for travellers, especially for Seniors. It's time for the rules to keep up with developments in science that will keep Seniors safe while allowing them to travel."

Jana Ray, COO of seniors’ advocacy group CanAge, spoke of how important travel was to supporting Canada’s seniors to avoid self-isolation and depression, and the importance of maintaining in-person family connections.

"Seniors have been isolated at home away from family, friends and the world. As travel opens up we need to make sure that seniors are not left out - again,” she said.

“As Canada's national seniors advocacy organization we are calling for a streamlined vaccine-passport approach, rather than creating costly additional barriers to travel especially in our upcoming holiday season."

The groups are calling on the federal government to follow science- and data-based decision making, which they say would result in the cancellation of pre-departure PCR tests as well as other burdensome obstacles for the return to travel.