Starting January 15, Canada will enforce a vaccine mandate for border-crossing commercial drivers, meaning the exemption from entry requirements that has been applied previously will no longer be in effect.  Proof of being fully vaccinated against COVID-19 will be required at the Canada-US border.

The U.S. also has a vaccine mandate in place, requiring the trucking sector crossing the border to be fully vaccinated beginning January 22. 

Consequences to the supply chain as a result of the mandate remain a serious concern, as the pre-existing strain is expected to worsen.  In addition to the shortage of approximately 20,000 drivers Canada is already experiencing, the Canadian Trucking Alliance (CTA) is estimating a loss of 12,000-16,000 cross border commercial drivers once this mandate goes into effect.

Mandatory vaccination requirements are currently in place for employees in the federally regulated air, rail, and marine transportation sectors, and the Government of Canada has also recently announced they will be proposing regulations to make vaccination mandatory in all federally regulated workplaces in the coming months.  The BC Trucking Association (BCTA) will continue to work with the provincial government regarding the impacts of the cross-border vaccination mandate as well as the domestic federal vaccine mandate on the commercial transportation industry. BCTA fully supports the use of vaccines as the surest way to mitigate the risk of spreading COVID-19 however is encouraging government to work with our industry to provide, at a minimum, exemptions for specific job classes and select a feasible enforcement date for the vaccine mandate on cross-border truck drivers. Click here for BCTA’s letter to Minister of Transportation and Infrastructure Rob Fleming in December 2021.

Industry is reminded to continue using ArriveCAN to provide mandatory travel information. Please click here for updated resources by the Government of Canada that provides a step-by-step overview of the ArriveCAN process.

For more information on entry requirements for travellers entering Canada, please visit the Government of Canada website.

For more information on the upcoming domestic vaccine mandate for federally regulated workplaces, please click here.

Read BCTA’s Bulletin on November 29, 2021: BCTA Calling for Delayed COVID Vaccine Mandate at Canada-US Border for Commercial Drivers.