Public Safety Minister Marco Mendicino speaks to reporters after leaving a caucus meeting on Parliament Hill in Ottawa on June 22nd. PATRICK DOYLE / The Canadian Press
The federal government is facing growing pressure to remove its ArriveCan app and increase staffing in an attempt to address the chaos affecting Canada’s major airports, where travelers face delays and canceled flights.
For weeks, many have been stranded for hours at Canadian airports, most often at Pearson International in Toronto. Last weekend, Canadian airlines and airports had more flight delays than almost any other country in the world. The blame lies with staff shortages and the ArriveCan app, which was implemented to show travelers that they are vaccinated and have a quarantine plan if they contract COVID-19.
Mark Weber, president of the Customs and Immigration Union, said he believes the lack of front-line staff, ArriveCan and an over-reliance on technology in general contribute to the delays.
“What we are seeing specifically on the customs side are very long delays for travelers to go through customs when they enter the country,” he said.
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Mr. Weber said the number of front-line staff has steadily declined over the years. In addition, travelers face challenges when using the ArriveCan app, “which many travelers take a while to fill out,” he said.
Mr. Weber said he would like the federal government to hire between 2,000 and 3,000 front-line agents across the country who dominate different ports of entry, including sea and land.
When it comes to ArriveCan, he said, the questions could be simplified in the app to help speed things up. For example, he said travelers should not have to enter the address of where they are staying if there is no contact tracking. The app can also be difficult to navigate for people who are not tech savvy, he said.
Melissa Lantsman, a conservative transportation critic, said Canada’s airports have become “an international disgrace.” He said that instead of continuing to blame travelers and airlines, Transport Minister Omar Alghabra and the Liberal government should take responsibility.
“Conservatives continue to call for a return to pre-pandemic travel rules and staffing levels to help alleviate the delays and clutter we continue to see at Canadian airports, including ending the mandatory use of the ArriveCan app.”
NDP transportation critic Taylor Bachrach said the Liberals did not act even though they had months to prepare for the trip to return and are now struggling to hire control agents.
“The government needs to speed up the recruitment of new staff to address the shortage and ensure that workers receive adequate pay and fair treatment.”
Last month, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau set up a new working group of cabinet ministers to improve government services, such as passport processing, and monitor the situation at airports. In a statement Monday, the co-chair and office of the Minister of Women and Gender Equality, Marci Ien, said the working group has met and is working to “find solutions to address gaps in the provision of services “.
Alexander Cohen, a spokesman for Public Safety Minister Marco Mendicino, whose office is in charge of ArriveCan, said the app helps make traveling “easier and more efficient, allowing those entering Canada to send the your information electronically before you reach the border “.
He said he also provides CBSA agents with tools to ensure travelers are processed quickly and safely. Mr. Cohen said its use is “extremely high” and, according to his statistics, 99.7% of air travelers and 94.1% of land travelers used it successfully.
“Global travel volumes have risen more than 700 percent from their lowest point during the pandemic, and airports around the world are feeling the impact. From too many flights to understaffed, there is no there is no reason for these delays, but the ArriveCan app is not a major factor, ”he said.
Mr. Cohen said the CBSA is making significant efforts to add resources and streamline processes to help keep people moving, including new kiosks at major airports, such as Toronto Pearson, and hiring more than 700 border guards. students for the summer.
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Valérie Glazer, communications director for Mr. Alghabra said in a statement that delays at airports are “completely unacceptable.” He said Ottawa will meet with airports, airlines and relevant government agencies to find solutions to tackle bottlenecks. Ms. Glazer said the Canadian Transportation Safety Authority has hired more than 1,000 new inspectors at airports.
“We are moving forward, but there are still challenges, especially for travelers facing flight cancellations and problems with luggage services.”
He said that Mr. Alghabra met with the CEOs of the Greater Toronto Airports Authority and WestJet last week, and the CEO of Air Canada on Monday to discuss the issue.
When it comes to the app, travelers are divided. Payman Parseyan, an Edmonton-based oil and gas project director, said he has traveled internationally more than 50 times since he downloaded ArriveCan last year. He said he is “baffled” by why Canada still uses it, as border agents have only asked to see the app on his phone about a third of the time he has returned to Canada.
“It has been quite rare for me to be checked and landed back in Canada via Pearson [Toronto], Calgary, Vancouver and Montreal. It seems right or wrong whether the CBSA officer will request the ArriveCan app or not, ”he said.
“From my point of view, the app is completely useless.”
Alex Chauran, a mother of two in Port Moody, BC, said she feels like she is one of the few people making the app. He crosses the land border in Surrey, BC, about eight times a month to take his children to see his father in Washington. He said he has found ArriveCan useful because it simplifies documentation for his children, who were vaccinated in the U.S. and only have U.S. immunization certificates, to return to Canada.
With a report from The Canadian Press
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