Is ArriveCAN here to stay? Canada Border Services signs off on cryptic new press release

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GUEST HOST: David Menzies

So, on Wednesday, a press release from Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) plopped on my desk.

And at first blush, the headline looked promising:

Make your customs and immigration declaration in advance and save time at the border.

Well, that sounds quite jolly, doesn’t it, given that outrageous lineups at Canadian airports is so du rigueur these days.
In fact, it’s now far beyond annoying and aggravating; the Canadian airport experience is a borderline form of torture.

Indeed, as we recently reported, thanks to the various stupefying mandates of the Justin Trudeau Liberals, Toronto Pearson International is the number one airport in the world!... um, number one when it comes to the most delayed flights.

This dubious achievement is based on data obtained from the flight tracking company FlightAware. The data covers the period of May 26 to July 19, 2022. Oh, and FlightAware noted Pearson was number four in the world when it comes to cancelled flights.

Anyway, back to that CSBA press release that seemed to indicate that hope is on the horizon. Here’s what it said:

CSBA is constantly exploring innovative ways to deliver a better and faster experience for travellers without compromising the safety and security of Canada’s border.

To modernize and expedite the travel experience, the CBSA is now providing travellers the option to submit their customs and immigration declaration up to 72 hours in advance of their arrival in Canada through ArriveCAN. The Advance CBSA Declaration optional feature is currently available for international travellers arriving at Toronto Pearson, Montreal-Trudeau, and Vancouver international airports.

In the coming months, the optional feature will also become available to travellers arriving at Winnipeg, Halifax, Calgary, Edmonton, Billy Bishop Toronto City, Ottawa and Quebec City international airports.

By submitting their customs and immigration information in advance, travellers spend less time at primary inspection kiosks (PIK) or eGates when they arrive at the airport, resulting in shorter line-ups in arrivals halls.

Fair enough. It’s something, I suppose. Yet, the more I continued to read the release, the more annoyed I became for a couple of reasons.

Firstly, everyone knows that ArriveCAN is a dead dog with fleas. It is a major source of delays — when this pig in a poke is actually working, that is.

But here’s the thing: nowhere in the press release does the CBSA announce a retirement date for this unnecessary hunk of junk. I would suggest the vast majority of Canadians who travel want to know when ArriveCAN is going to be tossed. But no.

And so it was that my Spidey senses began tingling: is ArriveCAN here to stay? As in forever and ever?

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