Trudeau Says Reopening Canada’s Borders Won't Be ‘Based On What Other Countries Want’

The federal government will not be rushed into reopening Canada's borders, according to a new message from the prime minister.

Speaking on Monday, May 31, Justin Trudeau responded to calls for a plan for restart travel across the Canada-U.S. border.

He acknowledged that the COVID-19 situation continues to improve in both countries, but said Canadians' safety is a top priority when it comes to easing travel restrictions.

"We're on the right path," Trudeau said, according to CTV News. "But we'll make our decisions based on the interests of Canadians and not based on what other countries want."

"We all want to reopen, we all want to go back to travelling to see friends, take vacations, go on trips," he continued. "But we don't want to have to close again, tighten up again because there's another wave."

The PM has previously suggested that 75% of Canadians would need to be vaccinated before the feds would consider easing travel rules at Canada's borders.

Until then, both the Canada-U.S. border and the country's international border remain closed to all non-essential travel until at least June 21, 2021.