A vaccine proof, but with a Canadian flag: the federal government creates a document almost identical to the one issued by Quebec and available since August on the VaxiCode application. Ottawa will ask travelers to walk around with this new certificate, on the pretext that it will be more easily recognized in other provinces and around the world.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau made the announcement in the parking lot of the Ottawa Children’s Hospital on Thursday alongside Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland.
The new document is intended to establish a “Canadian standard” for vaccine proof against COVID-19, and thus make life easier for Canadians wishing to travel to another province or elsewhere in the world. It is available now for download directly from the websites of provinces that already have vaccine proof, including Quebec. Until now, each province had its own vaccination attestation system.
The new Canadian vaccine passport will look a lot like the one already issued by Quebec, except that it will display a Canadian flag on the header. The document will be bilingual, and will display the name, date of birth, and vaccines administered.
We’re moving forward on a standardized Canadian COVID-19 proof of vaccination – or “vaccine passport” – for international travel.
Here’s what it will look like: pic.twitter.com/jgrLwWT1qB
– Alexander Cohen (@alexanderecohen) October 21, 2021
During a briefing organized for the media, representatives of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC), the Public Health Agency of Canada (PHAC), Transport Canada (TC) and the The Canada Border Services Agency were not able to say which jurisdictions had so far refused the vaccine proof issued by Quebec, nor which would now recognize this new certificate.
Quebecers are still invited to download this new vaccination certificate from the government website if they wish to travel. They will have to include it in the ArriveCan portal, required for travelers entering the country.
As promised during the last elections, full vaccination will become mandatory from October 30 to board a plane or train in the country, for all passengers over 12 years old.
Further details will follow.