OTTAWA-
The leader of a union representing Canada’s customs and immigration officers says chronic staff shortages mean long waits at the border won’t necessarily go away when using the controversial ArriveCan app soon becomes optional .
Mark Weber, national president of the Customs and Immigration Union, warns that if travel volumes start to increase significantly, there will be “significant delays” at Canada’s border points.
Weber spoke to a House of Commons committee reviewing the ArriveCan app to provide travel and public health information before and after people enter Canada.
The Cabinet Order imposing vaccination mandates at the border and the use of ArriveCan for inbound travelers expires on Friday and the government says it will not be renewed.
Weber says the Canada Border Services Agency needs thousands more officers to fulfill its mandate.
He urges the government to hire more staff to keep goods and people moving across the border, not rely on technology like the poorly designed ArriveCan app.
This report from The Canadian Press was first published on September 27, 2022.