Jason Kenney Is Calling On The Feds To End Vaccine Mandates & COVID-19 Tests For Travel

Alberta Premier Jason Kenney called on Prime Minister Justin Trudeau to drop "pointless" federal travel restrictions in Canada.

In a video posted on Twitter, Kenney said Alberta would be putting forward a motion calling for the federal government to drop COVID-19 restrictions that "no longer make any sense" and are "no longer defensible from a public health point of view."

"I'm not aware of any jurisdiction in the world apart from Canada that has a requirement to be fully vaccinated to board a plane," he said.

Currently, according to the federal government's website, anyone over the age of 11 must have proof of at least two COVID-19 vaccinations to board a plane and some trains. International travellers — including Canadians returning home from abroad — must also take either a rapid antigen test no more than one day before their arrival in Canada or a molecular test within 72 hours before arrival.

Kenney said Alberta's decision to drop almost all of its COVID-19 restrictions from March 1, including its mask mandate, was "based on data" that suggested that the "worst of COVID is behind us."

He called on the federal government to "lift travel restrictions that no longer have any measurable public health benefit for Albertans or for Canadians."

"That's why our government will present a motion in Alberta's legislature to call on the federal government to drop pointless COVID travel restrictions that no longer make any sense, that are no longer defensible from a public health point of view," he added.

Kenney also discussed the impact travel restrictions have on Canada's travel and tourism industry.

"It's just another way of holding back the hundreds of thousands of people who work in our travel and tourism industry with no measurable public health gain," he said.

This article's right-hand cover image was used for illustrative purposes only.