Canada’s Invasive Travel App Doesn’t Control Covid — It Controls You
By: Kiyan Kassam
U.S. Representative Elise Stefanik, R-N.Y., wrote a letter last week calling on the Canadian government to scrap its controversial ArriveCan app for anyone seeking to enter the country, referring to the mandate as a “misguided burden” on travelers.
ArriveCan ostensibly screens incoming travelers for Covid-19 while enabling the federal government to collect a wealth of electronic data, personal information, and medical records, including someone’s vaccination status. Refusing to use the app while traveling to Canada can result in significant fines and even mandatory quarantine.
“The ArriveCan app serves no public health purpose and continues to harm both commerce and the flow of traffic at our border. I urge you and the Canadian government to cease this app’s harmful impacts on our border communities and immediately halt its required use,” the congresswoman stated.
When it comes to testing, vaccination status, and quarantine requirements, the app is completely at odds with new guidance from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). So why exactly is Canada refusing to follow the so-called science?
Prolonged processing and wait times at the U.S.-Canada border are also being attributed to the app, as Stefanik suggested. “We’re so short-staffed and spending so much time dealing with this app that we really don’t have time to do our actual jobs anymore,” said Mark Weber, national president of the Customs and Immigration Union.