Canada Says It’s ‘Up To You’ To Decide What Counts As Essential Travel Abroad

According to the federal government, there's some room for interpretation when it comes to Canada's travel rules.

While the prime minister continues to urge Canadians to avoid non-essential travel abroad, the government’s website states that it's up to an individual to decide what counts as discretionary.

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It is up to you to decide what “non-essential travel” means, based on family or business requirements, knowledge of or familiarity with a country, territory or region, and other factors. Government of Canada

While non-essential travel has been discouraged by federal officials since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, no outright ban has been put into place.

However, the suggestion to “avoid non-essential travel” remains non-specific.

A notice on the government’s website explains that the term means, “there are specific safety and security concerns that could put you at risk.”

While Canadians are advised to “reconsider your need to travel to the country, territory or region,” the page says it remains up to an individual to decide “whether or not you really need to be there.”

While the official rules remain somewhat ambiguous, Justin Trudeau has made it clear that international holidays should be out of the question right now.

In a press conference this week, he urged Canadians to take the pandemic seriously, noting that “no one should be vacationing abroad right now.”

His comments came just days after multiple Canadian politicians were caught leaving the country to vacation during the pandemic.