A Liberal MP says a media-fed “fear factor” has kept Canadians from clamouring to reopen the international border and that Ottawa lacks the initiative and common sense to make it happen..Wayne Easter, MP for Malpeque, Prince Edward Island since 1993, made the comments in an interview with POLITICO..The co-chair of the Canada–U.S. Inter-Parliamentary Group recently met Sens. Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.), Mike Crapo (R-Idaho), and U.S. lawmakers to discuss reopening the border..“They’re putting the heat on their administration and also trying to put some heat on ours as well,” Easter said..“I talk to cabinet ministers in various caucus meetings. The discussion is ongoing, it isn’t a moot point. There [are] discussions among cabinet circles on how do we do this. That’s a good sign.”.The problem, Easter said, is it’s hard to push a caucus to action when they meet over Zoom..“You can’t rub shoulders … and say to somebody, ‘Look, this is the issue and let’s get on it together today and put the pressure on,'” he said..Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has suggested that public health restrictions shouldn’t drop until 75% of Canadians get their first COVID-19 shots and 20% are fully vaccinated. Currently those numbers are 53% and 5% respectively..The border will remain closed through June 21, but Easter says Canadians need a timetable for when borders will open..“As you get into July 1, Canada Day, and July 4, Independence Day, then those target dates are real pressure points for wanting to be normalized…You need to lay out the plan regardless of that uncertainty… It’s absolutely essential at that point that the plan is completely laid out,” Easter said..The problem, Easter suggests, is that politicians are in their own little world..“You have, to a certain extent, the Ottawa bubble mentality and that can be part of the problem. Same as the Washington, D.C., mentality — it’s two different worlds. I say both [are] a bubble in which reality or common sense doesn’t exist,” he said..Bubbled or not, American lawmakers seem more ready to move. Rep. Henry Cuellar (D-Texas) told POLITICO that U.S. authorities are poised to lifting restrictions at both the Canadian and Mexican borders in June..“All indications are they’ll open up,” said Cuellar..“We’re almost there. But I don’t know if they’ll do it all at once or take a phased approach.”.The All Point Bulletin provided more indications the U.S. is moving forward..The Point Roberts, Washington publication said on May 25, a local immigration lawyer was advised the U.S. will open the border June 22 regardless of what Canada decides..Easter said the “flux and uncertainty” of the pandemic has made decisions more difficult and that Canadian public health officials and the media have contributed to a greater “fear factor” regarding the pandemic..“We’ve done a pretty good job of creating fear on the Canadian side,” he said, adding the goal was to keep people staying home..“If you were ever to watch [the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation] for a 16-hour period, you’d be depressed.”.Harding is a Western Standard correspondent based in Saskatchewan
