Evidence of meeting #24 for International Trade in the 44th Parliament, 1st Session. (The original version is on Parliament’s site, as are the minutes.) The winning word was app.
A recording is available from Parliament.
Liberal
Vice-President, Travellers Branch, Canada Border Services Agency
Yes.
Depending on the complexity of the travelling party, 45 seconds is a low-end average for individual travellers as well as the commercial trucking sector.
Liberal
Arif Virani Liberal Parkdale—High Park, ON
Is goes without saying that the longer it takes for people to be processed, the more likely it is that they congregate together in an airport facility, for example. Moving people through quickly helps reduce the potential spread of the virus itself.
Is that fair?
Vice-President, Travellers Branch, Canada Border Services Agency
That is fair.
Liberal
Arif Virani Liberal Parkdale—High Park, ON
I have a genuine concern about moving towards digitization and automatization as we move across many government processes. We see similar things happening at IRCC, for example.
Is there still a small portion of the population that is less technologically savvy and requires a bit of assistance? How do you overcome that portion of travellers, Canadians or visitors to Canada, who just aren't in the smart phone world and aren't as technologically savvy as the rest?
How do you address that concern?
Vice-President, Travellers Branch, Canada Border Services Agency
Perhaps I'll invite my colleague to competently answer, but we support all travellers, especially on arrival. We do recognize instances, and the orders in council do account for some instances where individuals have been unable to provide it for various reasons.
Perhaps Marie-Hélène would like to complement that.
Director General, Centre for Compliance, Enforcement and Exemptions, Public Health Agency of Canada
Yes. Thank you, Denis.
The Public Health Agency as well as our partners in the airports use a facilitative approach. What we want to do is to make sure that we are eliciting compliant behaviour, but there are some barriers that are real. Those barriers are met, again, with a facilitative approach at the time of processing from a fact perspective, where we allow those specific travellers on a case-by-case basis.... We invoke the exemptions that are allowed under the order in council for language reasons, physical barriers or lack of infrastructure, for example.
Director General, Centre for Compliance, Enforcement and Exemptions, Public Health Agency of Canada
Thank you.
Liberal
The Chair Liberal Judy Sgro
I'm sorry to interrupt, Ms. Lévesque.
Thank you very much.
Mr. Savard-Tremblay, you have five minutes, please.
Bloc
Simon-Pierre Savard-Tremblay Bloc Saint-Hyacinthe—Bagot, QC
Thank you, Madam Chair.
I would like to welcome all the witnesses and apologize for the delay. There have been votes in the House, which delayed the meeting.
Ms. Lévesque, have you conducted any studies and do you have any figures to present? How has the direct impact of ArriveCAN on the entry and transmission of the virus in Canada been analyzed?
Director General, Centre for Compliance, Enforcement and Exemptions, Public Health Agency of Canada
What we do know is that we are receiving information in a much shorter time frame. As a result, once travellers have entered Canada, we are able to do post-border checks and get information to the travellers much more quickly, so that they can comply with Canada's border measures.
We also have much higher quality information. We are able to follow up more closely with travellers who are subject to border measures. The Auditor General of Canada has acknowledged that this has been greatly improved since the implementation of ArriveCAN and digital information.
Bloc
Simon-Pierre Savard-Tremblay Bloc Saint-Hyacinthe—Bagot, QC
So, in summary, this has had a positive impact on traceability. Is that correct?
Director General, Centre for Compliance, Enforcement and Exemptions, Public Health Agency of Canada
Yes, exactly.
Bloc
Simon-Pierre Savard-Tremblay Bloc Saint-Hyacinthe—Bagot, QC
Thank you.
We know that the political community decides on the issue, but that public health still submits recommendations. What are your conditions? What would allow you to recommend a potential lifting of the requirement to use the application?
Director General, Centre for Compliance, Enforcement and Exemptions, Public Health Agency of Canada
Dr. Tam recently said in parliamentary committee that the pandemic is not over. So we definitely want to keep that ability to get the information we need at our fingertips, so we can act quickly if we need to.
When the Omicron variant arrived, for example, we had to tap into our database of travellers who had recently entered the country. Travellers who didn't think they were subject to quarantine had to undergo a surprise quarantine under the new orders to protect Canadians.
Bloc
Simon-Pierre Savard-Tremblay Bloc Saint-Hyacinthe—Bagot, QC
Dr. Tam recently stated that the two vaccine doses were no longer considered up‑to‑date vaccination. Could ArriveCAN be adjusted for a possible third dose?
Director General, Centre for Compliance, Enforcement and Exemptions, Public Health Agency of Canada
I will not comment on vaccination, as that is unfortunately not part of my area of expertise. I can ask my colleagues to do so in writing, if the committee would like.
However, I can tell you that ArriveCAN is improved regularly with new versions. We adapt by requiring new information or removing certain requirements as the pandemic and science evolve.
Bloc
Simon-Pierre Savard-Tremblay Bloc Saint-Hyacinthe—Bagot, QC
Okay.
In summary, enforcement is currently in effect and there is no plan or indicator light, red or green. There is no decision to recommend lifting the requirement once a low enough number of cases per border entry is reached.
Does the plan currently contain a goal to achieve to get to the point of lifting the requirement to use the application?
Director General, Centre for Compliance, Enforcement and Exemptions, Public Health Agency of Canada
At this time, as we are preparing for a new wave and as we have been advised that the pandemic is not over, we continue to require the use of the ArriveCAN application, and we continue to respond to the science and to the digital information needs of passengers and travellers entering the country.
Bloc
Simon-Pierre Savard-Tremblay Bloc Saint-Hyacinthe—Bagot, QC
Thank you, Ms. Lévesque.
If I still have a bit of time left, I would like to ask another question.
Bloc
Simon-Pierre Savard-Tremblay Bloc Saint-Hyacinthe—Bagot, QC
In that case, I will be brief.
Mr. Vinette, I know a 75‑year‑old lady who had technical problems. Since she was unable to complete her application on ArriveCAN, she had to quarantine on her way in. How could that happen?
Vice-President, Travellers Branch, Canada Border Services Agency
People have to comply with the requirements. We have recently become more flexible. That said, from the beginning, we have been helping as many people as possible complete their applications when they arrive.
If a traveller is quarantined in certain circumstances, there are resources they can contact. On a few occasions, we have worked with the Public Health Agency of Canada to lift the quarantine or the requirements at the border. We have measures we can take when necessary.