Sixteen governors and two Canadian premiers on Wednesday urged President Joe Biden and Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau to reinstate COVID-19 vaccination exemptions for cross-border truckers.
Failing to reinstate the exemptions will worsen the supply chain pain, the governors and premiers said in a letter.
“We are deeply concerned that terminating these exemptions has had demonstrably negative impacts on the North American supply chain, the cost of living, and access to essential products for people in both of our countries,” they wrote.
The leaders also criticized Biden and Trudeau for terminating the exemptions at a bad time.
“The timing of your decision to terminate the vaccine and quarantine exemptions could not have been worse, as North America already faces grave supply chain constraints,” read the letter.
Alberta Premier Jason Kenney, Saskatchewan Premier Scott Moe, and 16 Republican governors signed the letter.
The U.S. governors who joined the petition include those from Alabama, Alaska, Arkansas, Georgia, Idaho, Iowa, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, North Dakota, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Utah, and Wyoming.
The letter was also forwarded to U.S. Ambassador to Canada David Cohen and his counterpart Kirsten Hillman, the Canadian ambassador to the United States.
The governors and premiers penned the letter after Canadian and American truckers participated in the Freedom Convoy 2022 for weeks and as American truckers prepare to take similar actions in the United States.
The Canadian government announced back in early January that all truckers entering Canada must show proof of COVID vaccination starting from Jan. 15. On the U.S. side, the Biden administration announced a similar requirement effective from Jan. 22.
Trucking companies and industrial groups expressed concern that the vaccination requirement will exacerbate supply chain problems and urged leaders from both sides to reconsider it.
“We’re asking both countries to work together to remove their foreign national (vaccine) mandate and look for a better date to put this in place,” Stephen Laskowski, president and chief executive of the American Trucking Associations told Reuters on Jan. 13.
Right after the Trudeau government’s announcement, Canadian truckers started Freedom Convoy 2022. They gathered in Ottawa to protest and blocked several crossings between Canada and the United States for days.
This is an excerpt from The Epoch Times.
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