“The United States-Canada border has been closed for almost 16 months with very little action toward reopening on either side. The Canadian government announced recently that they would lift the quarantining requirement for those who are vaccinated and traveled to the United States but this new policy only applies to travelers already eligible to cross the border- which only includes essential workers and continues to exclude families who have been separated and property owners who have not been able to visit their property in over a year. This is simply not enough to help those who live in border communities like the North Country. Meanwhile, those who can afford to fly to the United States from Canada are permitted to do so, creating an unfair and unjust policy that excludes most Canadians who can only afford to drive to cross the border.

“Enough is enough. I have been calling on both sides of the border repeatedly to use a phased approach towards reopening the border so that families can be reunited and property owners may return to their properties but our federal governments continue to not make reopening the border a priority. The suffering of North Country families should not be ignored, and it is time for President Biden to make reopening the border a priority and take unilateral action towards reopening the border.”