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Dan Albas is the Conservative Party MP for the riding of Central Okanagan—Similkameen—Nicola. This riding includes the communities of Kelowna (specific boundaries), West Kelowna, Peachland, Summerland, Keremeos, Princeton, Merritt and Logan Lake.
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As my summer listening tour continues throughout our region, another concern that I continue to hear about is the Trudeau Liberal Government’s ongoing requirement that the ArriveCan app be used to enter Canada.
Many in the tourism and accommodation sectors of our economy have raised the challenge of lost revenue, as many regular visitors from outside of Canada refuse to visit Canada citing concerns with the requirement to use the ArriveCan app.
For many border towns across Canada, there has been almost unanimous opposition against the app due to lost economic opportunities as many USA citizens are refusing to cross the border due to ArriveCan.
I have also heard from citizens, often seniors, who will no longer travel to the United States, either because they do not have a smart phone capable of downloading the app, or because they oppose the app on principle.
Recently Global News reported that a glitch in the ArriveCan app created a situation where 10,000 fully vaccinated Canadians were falsely instructed to quarantine themselves for 14 days solely because of an error.
Worse, it took the Government of Canada twelve days to become aware of the error and report this information to the citizens involved.
While the Government refuses to disclose exactly what was the cause of this error, it has been reported that these 10,000 quarantine orders were sent out automatically and electronically by the ArriveCan app through an automated decision-making process.
Likewise, if you received a false quarantine order, the Trudeau Liberal Government has not set up any type of an appeal or resolution process to have an error rectified.
In other words, you can be electronically ordered to quarantine without any recourse.
The cost of the ArriveCan app is reported to be close to $24.7 million and was developed through an untendered partnership that involved five private sector companies.
Although the ArriveCan app was introduced as a temporary pandemic related requirement, the Trudeau Liberal Government refuses to announce, either a proposed withdrawal date or a clarification if they intend to try and make this app a permanent requirement for entry into Canada, as has been floated in the media.
My question this week: What are your thoughts on the ArriveCan app and would you like to see its use terminated or continued as a permanent requirement to enter Canada?
I can be reached at Dan.Albas@parl.gc.ca or call toll free 1-800-665-8711.
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