Trudeau Says Canada Is ‘Working Very Closely’ With The US To Reopen The Border

Justin Trudeau has revealed that discussions related to reopening the Canada-U.S. border are ongoing between the two countries but shared no specific dates for travel restrictions to end.

Speaking during a press conference on May 18, the prime minister responded to questions about the government's plans to restart travel across the Canada-U.S. border.

"We continue to work very closely with American authorities and with Canadian experts on how we can move forward in a way that is safe for Canadians," he began.

While the current travel restrictions are set to end on May 21, the PM said that Canada continues to experience a third wave of COVID-19, and that there are still "real concerns around transmission of the virus."

Despite this, he said talks between the two countries are ongoing and will "hopefully get to a better place when the time is appropriate."

Trudeau acknowledged that both sides of the border are eager to get back to normal, but said "[COVID-19] cases need to be under control and over 75% of people need to be vaccinated for us to start loosening things in Canada."

He concluded by saying a set framework is being discussed to ensure the Canada-U.S. border can "eventually" reopen safely.