travel public service canada

• Skip to main content
• Skip to "About this site"

Language selection

• Français fr

Travel services

Resources for authorized Government of Canada (GC) travellers on official business.

On this page

Shared Travel Services portal

Other information and resources

Accommodation and car rental directory

Hotel Pass Program

The Shared Travel Services (STS) portal is an online travel management tool for authorized GC travellers on official business . From the portal, travellers can:

• air and rail transportation
• car rentals
• accommodations
• submit travel authorizations
• manage travel expenses
• find up-to-date travel related information

The STS portal supports the GC ’s priorities for greater accountability, visibility, and transparency in service delivery. It also modernizes and standardizes the processes for booking travel.

By choosing to follow this link, you will be navigating away from this Government of Canada website to a contracted service provider.

• Travel on government business
• Book travel (accessible only on the Government of Canada network)
• Travel services (accessible only on the Government of Canada network)

The accommodation directory offers information and rates on approved accommodations in Canada, the United States of America (USA) and other countries. It allows government travellers to search the directories using various parameters. The car rental directory provides an alphabetical index of city listings in Canada and the USA . In each city listing, car rental firms and their rates are shown in ascending order by price per vehicle category.

In compliance with subsection 41(1) of the Official Languages Act , the Public Services and Procurement Canada (PSPC) Hotel Pass Program supports Official Language Minority Communities (OLMC) in Canada.

The program is for staff and representatives of non-profit national and regional OLMC organizations who work to support and assist the development of these communities in areas such as:

• economic development
• immigration
• communications

Staff refers to employees who are on these organizations’ payroll, and representatives are the people who sit on their board of directors.

While travelling for business in Canada, they can benefit from the preferential rates offered by the establishments listed in the Government of Canada Accommodation Directory.

To benefit from this program, an application must be submitted to Public Services and Procurement Canada’s OLMC Secretariat, using the online Hotel Pass Program: Beneficiary application form .

For any questions, contact the OLMC Secretariat at tpsgc.dgrhsecretariatclosm-hrbolmcsecretariat.pwgsc@tpsgc-pwgsc.gc.ca .

• Skip to main content
• Skip to secondary menu

Public Services and Procurement Canada

Welcome to the 2024 Accommodation and Car Rental Directory.

This web site is intended solely for the use of the Identified Users and suppliers identified herein. The negotiated rates are to be used only by the Identified Users while on official Government business travel authorized by Federal, Provincial or Territorial Governments and paid or reimbursed from public funds in accordance with Government Travel Policy.

NOTE: We strongly urge employees to consult the 2024 Accommodation and Car Rental Directory preface as it contains important information for employees that wish to travel on government business.

The directory includes some links to Web sites as well as information provided by accommodation and car rental service suppliers or other third-party suppliers that are used by our approved suppliers.

These links are provided solely for the convenience of Public Services and Procurement Canada (PSPC) Web site users. PSPC is not responsible for the information found on them. The information being displayed on the accommodation establishment's listing may come from third party suppliers being used by the accommodation establishment. As such, some of these links are to organizations or other entities and the information being displayed may be coming from organizations or entities that are not subject to the Official Languages Act. Users should be aware that some information from other sources may be available in only one official language.

• Accommodation - Persons with Disabilities
• Car Rental - Unlimited Kilometers
• Car Rental - Delivery of Vehicles
• Car Rental - Term of Standing Offer - Reminder
• Car Rental - Winter tires - Reminder

MEDOC: Beyond the PSHCP

Our members benefit from a specially designed MEDOC® Travel Insurance through Johnson Inc. plan that coordinates with both the Public Service Health Care Plan (PSHCP) and your provincial government health insurance plan to offer unbeatable coverage at unbeatable rates. 

I have 40 days coverage with PSHCP. Why should I buy MEDOC®?  

Here's why over 90,000 Federal Retirees' members know that MEDOC® Travel Insurance is the right plan for them  

As of September 1, 2019 - significant enhancements to MEDOC® with no increase in rates!

• New:  Members are now covered for an unlimited number of trips within Canada of any duration
• New:  Up to $15,000 per insured in-province Trip Cancellation, Interruption & Delay Insurance benefit
• New:  Up to $5,000 non-medical emergency evacuation coverage
• New:  Up to $500 document replacement coverage for lost or stolen documents
• New:  Involuntary Schedule Change expense for the lesser of the change fee charged by the airline or up to $1,000 for the extra cost of one-way economy air fare to your next destination (inbound and outbound).   
• MEDOC offers up to $10,000,000 as its policy limit
• Up to $15,000 per insured per trip for Trip Cancellation , Interruption and Delay insurance; PSHCP does not offer this
• Up to $3,000 for Vehicle Return ; PSHCP does not offer this
• Up to $500 for Pet Return ; PSHCP does not offer this
• Up to $1,500 per insured for Baggage and Personal Effects insurance (up to $3,000 per family); PSHCP does not cover this
• Up to $150,000 per insured for Flight Accident and Accidental Death & Dismemberment insurance; PSHCP does not cover this
• Because PSHCP only provides coverage for trips of up to 40 days in duration, MEDOC offers a Supplemental Plan to provide coverage beyond the 40th day of your trip. Any claim incurred after the 40th day of your trip will be eligible for coverage from first dollar ($1) with no deductible.
• All-new benefit: free exclusive access to Perkopolis!

The MEDOC Annual Base Plan provides emergency medical coverage for an unlimited number of trips per policy year up to 40 days each for out of country travel (includes unlimited number of trips within Canada of any duration), for claims that exceed $500,000 (the coverage provided by your PSHCP). For claims exceeding $500,000, the following are examples of what is provided in addition to your PSHCP coverage:

• Up to $5,000 for Emergency Dental Expenses; PSHCP covers this benefit up to a maximum of $2,000 per emergency, so you can claim up to an additional $5,000 if you have MEDOC, and your emergency dental expenses are in excess of $2,000.
• Up to $600 for Emergency Relief of Dental Pain.
• Incidental hospital expenses (TV, telephone, etc.) MEDOC covers up to $50 per day, or up to a maximum of $2,000 per insured.
• PSHCP insures up to $3,000 for repatriation or burial. MEDOC covers any amount you incur in excess of this amount up to a maximum of $5,000.
• PSHCP insures up to $2,500 in total for all additional hotel and meals expenses. MEDOC covers up to $350 per day, or up to a maximum of $3,500 per insured. So if your emergency is within the first 40 days of your trip, and you incur this expense, you can claim $2,500 from the PSHCP plan and then a further $3,500 from MEDOC if you incur in excess of $2,500 for additional hotel and meal expenses.
• PSHCP covers 80% of emergency related medications prescribed while out of Canada and MEDOC will reimburse the other 20% of emergency related medications prescribed while out of Canada.
• New benefit - $100 per insured to be reimbursed for access to airport lounge access in the event your trip is interrupted or delayed due to a covered event.

Travel Safely - but Travel Protected

For more information on MEDOC® travel insurance, call toll-free at 1-855-772-6675 or visit our insurance partner at  www.johnson.ca/federalretirees .

Johnson Inc. ("Johnson") is a licensed insurance intermediary. MEDOC ® is a registered trademark of Johnson.  MEDOC ® is underwritten by Royal & Sun Alliance Insurance Company of Canada ("RSA") and administered by Johnson. Johnson and RSA share common ownership. Travel assistance is provided by Global Excel Management Inc. *A 90-day Health Stability Clause applies to pre-existing medical conditions for the Standard Health Option, Supplemental Plan only, and other restrictions may apply. Eligibility requirements, limitations or exclusions may apply.

National Joint Council

• Gen Sec Annual Report - 2022-23
• NJC Labour Relations Training Sessions for the LR Community
• NJC Recognition
• Photo Gallery
• Current Committee Activities
• NJC Constitution
• NJC By-Laws
• NJC Co-Development Process
• NJC Results for Employees
• Organization Chart
• NJC Membership
• NJC Statement of Values
• Disability Insurance Plan
• Public Service Dental Care Plan
• Public Service Health Care Plan
• Coordinators
• Search Decisions
• Information Notice - Change in Grievance Practice
• Grievance Process and Procedures
• Publications
• NJC Communiqués

Part III - Travel Modules

3.1 module 1 - travel within headquarters area.

The provisions outlined in this module apply when a traveller is away from the workplace on government travel within the headquarters area in Canada or worldwide.

3.1.1 Accommodation

Reimbursement for overnight accommodation within an employee's headquarters area shall not normally be authorized. Employees in the following exceptional cases shall be in travel status and reimbursed for overnight accommodation according to the provisions of Module 3:

• accommodation in government facilities for such purposes as live-in conferences, meetings and training courses;
• accommodation in educational facilities, for such purposes as live-in conferences, meetings and training courses; or
• accommodation in commercial facilities, in very exceptional or emergency situations that require employees to remain close to their posts for periods long in excess of normal working hours, such as policing activities during a crisis, or extended collective bargaining sessions.

3.1.2 Additional business expenses

The employee shall be reimbursed for business expenses not otherwise covered such as business calls, photocopies, word-processing service, faxes, internet connections, rental and transportation of necessary office equipment and transportation of required personal effects.

Where required, the employer shall make the necessary arrangements for obtaining entry documents as determined by the department, and/or an appropriate passport and photos, and/or visa as determined by Foreign Affairs and International Trade Canada, and any required inoculations, vaccinations, X-rays and certificates of health, at no expense to the employee. Where possible, the services of Health Canada, Veterans Affairs Canada or National Defence shall be used for medical services. Any related expenses incurred by an employee shall be reimbursed.

The employee shall also be reimbursed for service charges/fees for actual and reasonable expenses and for financial transactions, such as but not limited to:

• Automated Banking Machine use;
• government travel card use;
• credit/debit card use;
• financial institution foreign currency transaction commission(s);
• traveller's cheques acquisition; and
• cheque-cashing fees.

Reimbursement claims shall be supported by receipts and indicate the expense currency.

The employee shall also be reimbursed for the cost of a safety deposit box when supported by receipts.

3.1.3 Bottled water

The cost of reasonable amounts of bottled water shall be reimbursed based on receipts, except where bottled water is part of a meal.

3.1.4 Currency exchange

The costs incurred to convert reasonable sums to foreign currencies and/or reconvert any unused balance to Canadian currency shall be reimbursed, based upon receipts, from all transactions and sources.

When these costs are not supported by receipts, the average Bank of Canada currency exchange rate shall apply. In cases where the Bank of Canada does not provide an exchange rate, an alternate bank rate from an established institution, as determined by the employer, shall be applied. The rate shall be the average of the rates applicable on the initial date into the country and the final date out of the country.

3.1.5 Dependant care

The requirement to travel on government business must be carefully assessed, particularly when the employee would need to leave dependants with another caregiver.  Alternatives to travel or scheduling to ensure employees and their dependants are not unduly separated, should be explored before travel is authorized.

For the purposes of this provision, other caregivers include:

• the employee's spouse, common-law partner;
• the employee's former spouse or common-law partner who share custody/time as a caregiver of a dependant;
• other dependants 18 years of age or older residing with the employee or with the employee's former spouse or common-law partner who shares custody/time as a caregiver of a dependant, who do not have a mental or physical disability that makes them unable to provide dependant care or care for themselves; or
• a person identified as a legal guardian of the dependant requiring care.

When authorized, an employee who is required to travel on government business shall be reimbursed dependant care expenses, up to a daily maximum of:

• $35 Canadian, per household, with a declaration; or
• $75 Canadian, per household, with a receipt for services provided by an individual or company in the business of providing dependant care services.

The above noted amounts apply when:

• the employee is required to be absent from their residence on authorized government business travel;
• the caregivers listed above are unavailable because they are required to work or must attend scheduled medical appointments or courses at a recognized learning institution;
• the former spouse, common law partner, or guardian is not scheduled to provide care; and
• expenses that are incurred as a result of travelling on government business are additional to expenses the employee would incur when not travelling.

Reimbursement of services under this provision will require a declaration on the travel claim that the employee had responsibility for the care of the dependant, the time period that the services were rendered, the caregiver's name and telephone number and confirmation that only one employed family member has submitted a claim for dependant care.

3.1.6 Home communication

Not applicable to this module.

3.1.7 Incidental expense allowance

An employee who is required to travel on government business overnight shall be paid an incidental expense allowance that covers a number of miscellaneous expenses not otherwise provided for in this directive for each day or part day in travel status as per Appendix C or D as applicable.

3.1.8 Insurance

See Part II and Appendix A.

3.1.9 Meals

Unless otherwise covered by terms and conditions of employment or collective agreements, meal expenses incurred within the headquarters area shall not normally be reimbursed.

Meal expenses,excluding alcohol and based on receipts, may be reimbursed up to the limit of the applicable meal allowance in Appendix C or D, as applicable, in the following situations:

• when employees are required to work through or beyond normal meal hours and are clearly placed in situations of having to spend more for the meal than would otherwise be the case;
• when employees are required to attend conferences, seminars, meetings or public hearings during the weekend or holidays;
• when employees are required to attend formal full-day conferences, seminars, meetings or hearings and where meals are an integral part of the proceedings;
• when employer representatives are involved in collective bargaining proceedings;
• when intensive task force or committee studies are enhanced by keeping participants together over a normal meal period; or
• when the reimbursement of meal expenses is clearly reasonable and justifiable as a direct result of an employee's duties.

3.1.10 Rest periods

3.1.11 transportation.

The selection of the mode of transportation shall be based on cost, duration, convenience, safety and practicality. In addition to provisions outlined below under (a) Commercial, (b) Other modes of transportation and (c) Vehicles, actual expenses associated with the selected mode of transportation shall be reimbursed. Such expenses include legitimate mandatory transportation service charges and fees, incurred while on travel status, not otherwise paid (e.g. docking fees, road/bridge tolls, ferries and other transportation service charges/fees). Receipts, indicating the expense currency, shall only be required for expenses in excess of $12. Where a receipt is not available, a declaration will suffice.

When authorized travel or overtime causes a disruption in the employee's regular commuting pattern, the employee shall be reimbursed additional transportation costs incurred between the residence and the workplace.

Where commercial transportation is authorized and used, the traveller shall be provided with the necessary prepaid tickets whenever possible.

Taxis, shuttles and local transportation services are alternatives for short local trips. Actual expenses, including gratuities, shall be reimbursed. Receipts are only required for expenses in excess of $12.

Other modes of transportation

Occasionally, other modes of transportation not normally used on roadways shall be authorized for use on government business when these modes of transportation are safe, economical and practical.

Travellers using these other modes of transportation shall be reimbursed at the applicable kilometric rate based on the direct road distances, if available. When there are no road distances, the traveller shall be reimbursed for actual or reasonable distances travelled.

The standard for rental vehicles is intermediate. Rental vehicles beyond the standard shall be authorized based upon factors such as, but not limited to, safety, the needs of the traveller and the bulk or weight of goods transported. When authorized, the rental cost for GPS shall be reimbursed.

Additional costs associated with the provision of winter tires on rental vehicles shall be reimbursed.

The kilometric rates payable for the use of privately owned vehicles driven on authorized government travel are prescribed in Appendix B. Travellers shall use the most direct, safe and practical road routes and shall claim only for distances necessarily driven on government travel.

When an employee has been authorized to use and uses a private vehicle within the headquarters area on government travel, the employee shall be reimbursed the kilometric rate in accordance with Appendix B.

Parking charges are normally not payable when the employee is on duty at the workplace. For every day on which an employee is authorized to use a private vehicle on government travel, the employee shall be reimbursed the actual costs of parking the vehicle for that period of time. Receipts are only required for expenses in excess of $12.

3.1.12 Weekend travel home

3.1.13 weekend travel - alternatives, 3.2 module 2 - travel outside headquarters area - no overnight stay.

The provisions outlined in this travel module apply when a traveller is away from the workplace on government travel outside the headquarters area without an overnight stay in Canada or worldwide.

3.2.1 Accommodation

3.2.2 additional business expenses.

The employee shall be reimbursed for business expenses not otherwise covered, such as business calls, photocopies, word-processing service, faxes, internet connections, rental and transportation of necessary office equipment and transportation of required personal effects.

Employees whose schedules have been altered for reasons outside their control shall be reimbursed for reasonable telephone costs to attend to situations related to the employee's altered schedule.

The employee shall also be reimbursed for service charges/fees for actual and reasonable expenses for financial transactions such as but not limited to:

3.2.3 Bottled water

3.2.4 currency exchange, 3.2.5 dependant care, 3.2.6 home communication, 3.2.7 incidental expense allowance, 3.2.8 insurance, 3.2.9 meals.

A traveller shall be paid the applicable meal allowance for each breakfast, lunch and dinner while on travel status.

Meal allowances shall be paid in accordance with the rates specified in Appendix C or D, as applicable.

A meal allowance shall not be paid to a traveller with respect to a meal that is provided. Where a traveller has incurred out-of-pocket expenses to supplement meals provided, the actual incurred costs, excluding costs for alcohol, shall be reimbursed, based on receipts, up to the applicable meal allowance.

Where a traveller incurs meal costs that are higher than the established meal allowances in situations outside the traveller's control, the actual and reasonable expenses incurred shall be reimbursed, based on receipts.

Reimbursement of meals for shift workers shall be based on the meal sequence of breakfast, lunch and dinner, in relation to the commencement of the employee's shift.

3.2.10 Rest periods

3.2.11 transportation.

The selection of the mode of transportation shall be based on cost, duration, convenience, safety and practicality. In addition to provisions outlined below under (a) Commercial, (b) Other modes of transportation and (c) Vehicles, actual expenses associated with the selected mode of transportation shall be reimbursed. Such expenses include:

• seat selection fee for commercial, private and/or chartered carriers;
• airport improvement fees, not otherwise paid (e.g. prepaid as part of the fare);
• airport departure tax, not otherwise paid;
• miscellaneous charge order, for excess baggage/excess weight for commercial, private and/or chartered carriers (written explanation also required);
• public carrier ticket "change fee" for legitimate authorized official government purposes; and
• legitimate, mandatory transportation service charges and fees, incurred while in travel status, not otherwise paid (e.g. docking fees, road/bridge tolls, ferries and other transportation service charges/fees).

Receipts, indicating the expense currency, shall only be required for expenses in excess of $12. Where a receipt is not available, a declaration will suffice.

When authorized travel or overtime causes a disruption in the employee's regular commuting pattern, the employee shall be reimbursed for additional transportation costs incurred between the residence and the workplace.

The standard for air travel is economy class. The lowest available airfares appropriate to particular itineraries shall be sought and bookings shall be made as far in advance as possible.

The standard for rail travel is the next highest class after the full economy class.

Travellers who are driven to or picked up from a public carrier terminal shall be reimbursed the kilometric rate based on the distance to and from the public carrier terminal for each round trip.

In the interests of safe driving, when employee-driven vehicles are authorized, employees shall not normally be expected to drive more than:

• 250 kilometres after having worked a full day;
• 350 kilometres after having worked one-half day; or

500 kilometres on any day when the employee has not worked.

Parking charges shall be reimbursed where it is practical and economical to leave a private vehicle at the public carrier's terminal during the period of absence. Receipts are only required for expenses in excess of $12.

For every day on which an employee is authorized to use a private vehicle on government travel, the employee shall be reimbursed the actual costs of parking the vehicle for that period of time. Receipts are only required for expenses in excess of $12.

3.2.12 Weekend travel home

3.2.13 weekend travel - alternatives, 3.3 module 3 - travel in canada and continental u.s.a. - overnight stay.

The provisions outlined in this travel module apply when a traveller is away from the workplace on government travel overnight, in Canada or in the continental U.S.A.

A daily comprehensive allowance may be authorized in circumstances where established allowances are not practical, reasonable, or equitable.

3.3.1 Accommodation

The standard for accommodation is a single room, in a safe environment, conveniently located and comfortably equipped.

A variety of options for accommodation are available for travel. Generally these include hotels, motels, corporate residences, apartments, private non-commercial accommodation, and government and institutional accommodation.

In accordance with 1.6.1, government hotel directories shall be used for the selection of accommodation where properties are listed therein for the travel location. Where properties for a particular location are not listed, or are listed but not available for the travel period, the directories shall be used to help determine the cost of accommodation by comparing costs in similar nearby locations.

Unless the employer authorizes otherwise, when travel is related to activities held in an institution, the employee shall stay in institutional accommodations.

Where employees are in travel status at military bases, unless program-related or security reasons dictate the use of specific accommodation, an employee's request for alternate commercial or private non-commercial accommodation shall not be unreasonably denied.

Although travellers generally stay in commercial accommodation, private non-commercial accommodation is encouraged. A traveller who chooses private non-commercial accommodation shall be reimbursed the rate as specified in Appendix C. In addition, ground transportation costs shall be authorized when it is cost effective. Cost effectiveness shall be determined by comparing the total cost of accommodation and transportation in the private non-commercial accommodation with available commercial or government and institutional accommodation and the associated transportation costs.

For periods of travel status of more than 30 consecutive calendar days at the same location, accommodation at corporate residences, apartments, private non-commercial accommodation or government and institutional accommodation is encouraged. Travellers who choose to stay in a hotel after the 30 th day when apartments or corporate residences are available in the area surrounding the workplace shall be reimbursed up to the cost of the average apartment or corporate residence available.

For periods of travel status of more than 120 consecutive calendar days at the same location, in private non-commercial accommodation, the private non commercial accommodation allowance will be reduced to fifty percent (50%).

3.3.2 Additional business expenses

The employee shall also be reimbursed for service charges/fees for actual and reasonable expenses for financial transactions such as, but not limited to:

3.3.3 Bottled water

The cost of reasonable amounts of bottled water shall be reimbursed based on receipts , except where bottled water is part of a meal.

3.3.4 Currency exchange

When these costs are not supported by receipts, the average Bank of Canada currency exchange rate shall apply. In cases where the Bank of Canada does not provide an exchange rate, an alternate bank rate from an established institution, as determined by the Employer, shall be applied. The rate shall be the average of the rates applicable on the initial date into the country and the final date out of the country.

3.3.5 Dependant care

3.3.6 home communication.

Home communication is included in the incidental expense allowance.

The following exception applies: Over each contiguous three-day period away from home port, employees on board vessels shall be authorized to make up to the equivalent of a ten minute phone call home using the equipment available. When satellite communication systems are available and used, the phone calls shall be limited to five minutes.

3.3.7 Incidental expense allowance

An employee who is required to travel on government business overnight shall be paid an incidental expense allowance that covers a number of miscellaneous expenses not otherwise provided for in this directive for each day or part day in travel status as per Appendix C.

The following exception applies: Seventy-five percent (75%) of the incidental expense as specified in Appendix C shall be paid starting on the 31 st consecutive calendar day of travel status while at the same location when corporate residences or apartment hotels are available to an employee in the area surrounding the workplace, or when the employee chooses to stay in private accommodation.

When an employee travels between locations in Canada and the U.S.A. on the same day, the incidental expense allowance paid shall be that for the location where the day commences.

3.3.8 Insurance

3.3.9 meals.

Meal allowances shall be paid in accordance with the rates specified in Appendix C.

The following exceptions apply: Seventy-five percent (75%) of the meal allowances as specified in Appendix C shall be paid starting on the 31 st consecutive calendar day and fifty percent (50%) on the 121 st consecutive calendar day of travel status at the same location when corporate residences or apartment hotels are available to a traveller in the area surrounding the workplace, or when the traveller chooses to stay in private accommodation.

3.3.10 Rest periods

Unless mutually agreed otherwise, itineraries for employees shall be arranged to provide for:

• a suitable rest period; and/or
• an overnight stop after travel time of at least nine consecutive hours.

Travel time is the time spent in any mode of transportation en route to destination and/or awaiting immediate connections. This includes the time spent travelling to and from a carrier's terminal.

A suitable rest period shall not be unreasonably denied.

3.3.11 Transportation

Where essential services such as groceries, restaurants, pharmacies, or dry cleaners are not available in the immediate vicinity of the employee's accommodation, employees shall be reimbursed the applicable kilometric rate for the reasonable use of their personal vehicle to access the required services.

Occasionally, other modes of transportation not normally used on roadways shall be authorized for use on government travel when these modes of transportation are safe, economical and practical.

3.3.12 Weekend travel home

The use of the weekend travel home provisions does not constitute a break in continuous travel at the same location.

An employee who is in travel status that extends through or beyond a weekend is eligible for weekend travel home provisions provided that the following conditions are met:

• work schedules permit the employee to be absent; and
• appropriate private or public transportation is available and its use is both practical and reasonable.

Every weekend:

An eligible employee entitled to travel home every weekend shall be reimbursed actual transportation costs up to an amount not exceeding:

• the cost of maintaining the employee in travel status for the weekend period (i.e., accommodation, meals, incidentals, and other expense allowances), if the accommodation is cancelled for the weekend; or
• when the accommodation is not cancelled, the weekend travel home transportation allowances stated in Appendix C shall apply.

Every third weekend on average:

There will be occasions when an employee in travel status for a period of more than 30 consecutive calendar days in Canada or the continental U.S.A. is so far from home that travel home every weekend would be impractical.

In such situations where travel home every weekend is impractical and provided that the employee is in continuous travel status, the employee may return home on average every third weekend and schedule actual weekend trips home within the maximum number permitted to meet personal needs.

The employee shall be reimbursed the most economical return airfare, the necessary return ground transportation to and from the carrier's terminal and meals en route. The lowest available airfares appropriate to particular itineraries shall be sought and bookings shall be made as far in advance as possible. Meals and incidentals at destination shall not be reimbursed. The accommodation at the duty travel location need not be cancelled.

3.3.13 Weekend travel - alternatives

The use of the weekend travel alternatives does not constitute a break in continuous travel at the same location.

By the employee

Provided that the employee is not required by the employer to remain at the duty travel location, an employee may choose to spend the weekend at an alternative location. To be eligible for reimbursement, the employee shall cancel charges for accommodation (and meals provided onsite) at the duty travel location; provide a receipt for alternative commercial accommodation when used; and not return home or to the headquarters area during the weekend.

Reimbursement shall be limited to the cost of maintaining the employee at the duty travel location and shall include the cost of accommodation, meals, incidentals and other expenses.

Arrangements are the personal responsibility of the employee without using the government-approved services. The employee assumes personal liability as if the employee were not in travel status.

The use of this provision does not preclude the employee's entitlement to weekend travel home.

By the employee's spouse or a dependant

3.4 Module 4 - International travel outside Canada or the continental U.S.A.

The provisions outlined in this module apply when a traveller is away from the workplace on government travel overnight, outside Canada or the continental U.S.A. or when the point of departure is outside of Canada or the continental U.S.A.

A daily comprehensive allowance may be authorized in circumstances where established allowances are not practical, reasonable or equitable.

In the event of extraordinary conditions arising out of active hostilities and/or natural disasters, employees on foreign travel may be entitled to an additional allowance under the Foreign Services Directives.

3.4.1 Accommodation

A variety of options for accommodation are available for travel. Generally these include hotels, motels, corporate residences, apartments, private non-commercial accommodation, government owned/leased accommodation and institutions.

Although travellers generally stay in commercial accommodation, private non-commercial accommodation is encouraged. A traveller who chooses private non-commercial accommodation shall be reimbursed the rate as specified in Appendix D. In addition, ground transportation costs shall be authorized when it is cost effective. Cost effectiveness shall be determined by comparing the total cost of accommodation and transportation in the private non-commercial accommodation with available commercial or government and institutional accommodation and the associated transportation costs.

3.4.2 Additional business expenses

The employee shall also be reimbursed for service charges/fees, for actual and reasonable expenses, for financial transactions, such as but not limited to:

3.4.3 Bottled water

3.4.4 currency exchange, 3.4.5 dependant care, 3.4.6 home communication.

Over each contiguous three-day period away from home, employees in travel status shall be reimbursed the equivalent of one 10-minute phone call home, based on receipts.

When satellite communication systems are available and used, the phone call shall be limited to five minutes.

Employees provided with international telephone-card privileges, or who have made use of government international telephone network facilities for home communication, shall not claim the cost of telephone calls home.

3.4.7 Incidental expense allowance

The following exception applies: Seventy-five percent (75%) of the incidental expense allowance as specified in Appendix C or D, as applicable, shall be paid starting on the 31 st consecutive calendar day of travel status while at the same location when corporate residences or apartment hotels are available to an employee in the area surrounding the workplace, or when the employee chooses to stay in private accommodation.

When an employee travels between locations in different countries on the same day, the incidental expense allowance paid shall be that for the location where the day commences.

3.4.8 Insurance

3.4.9 meals.

A traveller shall be paid the applicable meal allowance for each breakfast, lunch and dinner while in travel status.

The following exceptions apply: Seventy-five percent (75%) of the meal allowances as specified in Appendix C or D shall be paid starting on the 31 st consecutive calendar day and fifty percent (50%) on the 121 st consecutive calendar day of travel status at the same location when corporate residences or apartment hotels are available to a traveller in the area surrounding the workplace, or when the traveller chooses to stay in private accommodation.

Where no meal allowance has been established in a given country or where sudden changes in currency exchange rates or high inflationary trends may invalidate the specified meal allowance, actual and reasonable expenses shall be reimbursed, based on receipts.

Where a traveller incurs meal costs that are higher than the established meal allowances in situations outside the traveller's control, the actual and reasonable expenses incurred for all meal expenses on that travel day shall be reimbursed, based on receipts.

3.4.10 Rest periods

• a suitable rest period, and/or

Travel time is the time spent in any mode of transportation en route to a destination and/or awaiting immediate connections. This includes the time spent travelling to and from a carrier's terminal.

3.4.11 Transportation

Receipts, indicating the expense currency, shall only be required for expenses in excess of $12.  Where a receipt is not available, a declaration will suffice.

When authorized travel or overtime causes a disruption in the employee's regular commuting pattern, the employee shall be reimbursed actual additional transportation costs incurred between the residence and the workplace.

Where available, business/executive class air travel shall be authorized where continuous air travel exceeds nine hours. Continuous air travel starts at the scheduled flight departure time, and ends with the arrival at destination terminal or with an overnight stop or layover equivalent to an overnight stop.

Taxis, shuttles and local transportation services are alternatives for short local trips. Actual expenses, including gratuities, shall be reimbursed, based on receipts. Receipts are only required for expenses in excess of $12.

The kilometric rates payable for the use of privately owned vehicles driven on authorized government travel are provided in Appendix B. Travellers shall use the most direct, safe and practical road routes and shall claim only for distances necessarily driven on government travel.

3.4.12 Weekend travel home

The use of weekend travel home provisions does not constitute a break in continuous travel at the same location.

Provided the employee is in continuous travel status, the employee is entitled to return trips home as per the table below:

The employee may schedule actual weekend trips home within the maximum number permitted to meet personal needs.

3.4.13 Weekend travel - alternatives

Provided that the employee is not required by the employer to remain at the duty travel location, an employee may choose to spend the weekend at an alternative location. Such arrangements shall be made in consideration of security and diplomatic contexts. To be eligible for reimbursement, the employee shall cancel charges for accommodation (and meals provided on site) at the duty travel location; provide a receipt for alternative commercial accommodation when used; and not return home or to the headquarters area during the weekend.

Arrangements are the personal responsibility of the employee without using the government approved services. The employee assumes personal liability as if the employee were not in travel status.

As an alternative to weekend travel home by the employee, a spouse or a dependant may be authorized to travel to the employee's assigned work location when there is no additional cost to the employer. The airfare and pertinent travel arrangements shall be processed through government suppliers. Ground transportation to and from the public carrier shall be reimbursed. Such arrangements shall be made in consideration of security and diplomatic contexts. Insurance coverage for the spouse/dependant is the responsibility of the employee.

Language selection

• Français fr

Canada Border Services Agency

Carm launch for trade chain partners rescheduled to october 2024..

Read this news release issued April 19, 2024 , for details.

October 1, 2022 : COVID-19 emergency border measures ended

Refer to COVID-19: Travel, testing and borders for details.

Labour disruptions impact at the Canada Border Service Agency

The Canada Border Services Agency ( CBSA ) facilitates the flow of legitimate travellers and trade. The agency also enforces more than 100 acts and regulations that keep our country and Canadians safe.

On social media

• National account (@CanBorder)
• Border Alerts (@CanBorderAlert)

Regional accounts

• Atlantic Region (@CanBorderATL)
• Quebec Region (@CanBorderQUE)
• Northern Ontario Region (@CBSANOR)
• Greater Toronto Area Region (@CanBorderGTA)
• Southern Ontario Region (@CanBorderSOR)
• Prairie Region (@CanBorderPRA)
• Pacific Region (@CanBorderPAC)

Advance Declaration: Save time at the border

Use Advance Declaration in ArriveCAN to submit your customs and immigration declaration before flying into Canada.

CARM: The new way to assess and pay duties and taxes on imported commercial goods

Register and use the online services available to importers and customs brokers.

Smart and secure border tools for travel and trade

The latest technologies to help people and goods move across the border more seamlessly and securely.

• Canada Border Services Agency News Releases

All featured stories

Most requested

• Border wait times
• Sign-in services
• Sign in to the CARM Client Portal
• Sign in to eManifest
• Sign in to the Canadian Export Reporting System
• Sign in to the Trusted Trader portal
• Importing commercial goods by courier
• Travellers: Estimate duty and taxes
• Videos and podcasts

Services and information: Travel

Crossing the border into canada.

Reporting and customs requirements. Processes, programs and tools for visitors and residents.

Travel documents

Bring the right identification and citizenship documents to the border for yourself and your family.

Traveller Modernization: New tools and technologies for a faster, better and safe experience at the border

We are putting in place new tools and technologies, and updating processes, laws and policies to build the border of the future.

Plan your trip across the border

CBSA offices, travel tips for boaters and non-commercial air pilots.

Services and information: Trade

Importing goods.

Guidance, reporting requirements, advance rulings, valuation and more.

Exporting commercial goods

National policies, processes, procedures, regulations and legislation.

Customs Tariff 2024

The latest tariff classification numbers for declaring imported and exported goods.

Anti-dumping and countervailing

Measures for Canadian producers facing unfair foreign competition in the Canadian marketplace.

Facilitating trade

Programs and services to encourage trade in commercial goods and to facilitate compliance with trade rules.

CARM : CBSA Assessment and Revenue Management project

Transforming the collection of duties and taxes for goods imported into Canada.

Importing by mail

Why and how we screen mail and parcels. Declaring goods, duties and taxes.

Services and information: Securing the border

Arrests, detentions, alternatives to detention and removals.

How we deal with individuals who are not allowed to be in Canada.

Report suspicious border activity

Use our online form or our toll-free phone line to help stop illegal border activities.

Wanted by the CBSA

Help us find individuals who are unauthorized to enter or remain in Canada.

Detection tools

Technology and detector dogs help us detect and prevent contraband from entering Canada.

Our fight against human trafficking

The CBSA identifies instances of cross-border trafficking and helps potential victims.

Other border services and information

Importing goods for personal use.

Prohibited and restricted weapons, cannabis, animals and food, vehicles, boats, duties and more.

Smart and secure border tools for travel and trade New

The latest technologies supporting the movement of people and goods across the border.

Operating a duty-free shop

Licensing and regulatory requirements for shop operators.

Contact Canada Border Services Agency

What we are doing

Publications and forms.

• Customs notices
• Departmental memoranda

All publications and forms

Program results

• Evaluation of the Detector Dog Service (DDS) Program
• Targeted control audit of temporary resident permits

All program results

• Quarterly seizure statistics
• Quarterly detention and alternatives to detention statistics: First quarter, fiscal year 2023 to 2024
• Examining digital devices at the Canadian border

Corporate information

• Transparency
• Accessibility
• Corporate reports
• Job opportunities
• Service standards
• CBSA glossary

Minister of Public Safety, Democratic Institutions and Intergovernmental Affairs

President of the Canada Border Services Agency

Executive Vice-President of the Canada Border Services Agency

Watch this video to learn how to use Advance Declaration to submit your declaration before flying to Canada.

Get a glimpse into the border of the future.

Rachael Mosley is the manager of the CBSA College's Marine Centre of Expertise training facility.

Public Service Alliance of Canada

​​​ Member Login

Travel Policy

Revised April 2019

TABLE OF CONTENTS

1 – Introduction 2 – Administration 3 – Insurance 4 – Transportation 5 – Travelers with disabilities 6 – Illness, injury and death while in travel status 7 – Accommodation 8 – Meals, incidentals and other expenses 9 – Family care while in travel status 10 – Extended period in travel status 11 – Travel outside Canada 12 – Appendices

1 – INTRODUCTION

1.1 policy statement.

It is the policy of the PSAC to ensure consistent and fair treatment of all individuals who are required to travel on authorized PSAC business.

The provisions contained in this policy are mandatory.  These provisions provide for the reimbursement of reasonable expenses incurred while travelling on PSAC business.

Unionized facilities, suppliers and services must be used whenever available and possible.

All travel, including exceptions, requires pre-authorization.  The entitlements of the traveller will be determined in accordance with the provisions of this policy.  The responsibility for the PSAC Travel Policy belongs with the PSAC Branch Directors and the AEC Officers.

This policy is subject to a review immediately following the PSAC National Convention or as determined by the Alliance Executive Committee (AEC).  Any changes to the PSAC Travel Policy require approval by the AEC. 

1.2 Application

1.2.1 This policy applies to all individuals who are required to travel on authorized PSAC business unless specifically stated otherwise within the policy.

1.2.2 Enquiries concerning the application and interpretation of this travel policy to a particular travel situation can be directed to the appropriate PSAC Branch Directors, Coordinators or to the Convention, Conferences and Project Officer at [email protected] .

1.3 Definitions

Alliance Executive Committee (AEC) - is composed of the National President, the National Executive Vice President and the Regional Executive Vice Presidents.

Approval - means the person authorizing the travel expense claim.

Business travel – means all travel authorized by the PSAC, and is used in reference to the circumstances under which the expenses prescribed in this policy may be paid or reimbursed from PSAC funds.

Commercial accommodation – means hotel or motel type of accommodation or a similar commercial establishment that provides lodging at an established rate.

Continuous travel –   Period of uninterrupted travel between the traveller’s initial point of departure and the final destination.

Dependent child - means an employee’s or spouse’s biological, legally adopted, under Aboriginal customs or stepchild who is unmarried, unemployed, dependent and under the age of 21 if not in full time attendance at an educational institution, otherwise under the age of 25 or no age limit if the dependent child has a permanent disability.

Economy – means the standard class of air travel, including special discount fares.  It excludes first class and business/executive class or equivalents. 

Exceptions – means unusual circumstances or special needs that have not been covered in this policy.  The AEC, and/or the Branch Directors and/or the Section/Regional Coordinator have the authority to approve exceptions and make individual decisions that are not covered in this policy.

Headquarters area  – means an area surrounding the workplace having a radius of 16 kilometres, centered on the workplace.

Incidental expenses – includes such items as gratuities (excluding those for use of taxi services), internet, laundry, dry cleaning, bottled water, phone calls home, grass cutting, snow removal, home security check, plant watering, mail services, pet care, telecommunications hook-ups and service, shipping of some personal effects, and other personal supplies and services, the costs of which can be attributed to a period in travel status, but for which no other reimbursement or allowance is provided under this policy.

Kilometric allowance – means the rate as indicated in Appendix A based on province of registration, payable for all authorized travel by motor vehicle.

Maximum Allowed for Driving means the amount paid to a traveller when he/she chooses to travel by privately owned motor vehicle for distances over 300 kms one way, when commercial air or rail transportation is available.  The amount paid will be the kilometric distance at the applicable rate specified in Appendix A, up to the maximum of $700 (round trip).

Meal allowance – means the rates for breakfast, lunch, or dinner as indicated on Appendix A.

Member Expense Portal (MEP) – website which allows members to submit t heir PSAC travel expense claims electronically (located on the PSAC Member Portal website). 

Non-commercial accommodation and private non-commercial accommodation – means a private dwelling owned or rented by an acquaintance or relative with whom the traveller does not normally reside, campsites, or other accommodation where incidental expenses are minimal.

POMV - means Privately Owned Motor Vehicle.

PSAC – means the Public Service Alliance of Canada. 

Receipt – means an original document or carbon copy or certified true copy showing the amount of expenditure, itemized where possible, the date and indicating proof of payment.

Reasonable expenses – means the specific, itemized expenses incurred, based on receipts, excluding alcoholic beverages, up to the amount determined by the PSAC to be justifiable under the circumstances.

Spouse means a person to whom an employee or member is legally married, or a person with whom an employee or member is cohabiting and who has been identified to the PSAC as the employee's spouse regardless of sex.

Travel Loyalty Program or Frequent Flyer points - means benefits offered by the travel industry for business or personal use.

Traveller – is used in this policy to designate both PSAC employees and members who travel on authorized PSAC business.

Travel status – means absence from the traveller's headquarters area on PSAC business travel.

WE Travel Service – is currently the unionized travel agent company that is utilized by the PSAC.  

Workplace – is the location at or from which a traveller ordinarily performs the duties of his or her position and, in the case of a traveller whose duties are of an itinerant nature, the actual building to which the traveller returns to prepare and/or submit reports, etc., and where other administrative matters pertaining to the traveller's employment are conducted.

2 – ADMINISTRATION

2.1 authorization.

2.1.1 It is the PSAC’s responsibility to determine, when, where, by whom and by what means of travel will be undertaken and to select the mode and class of transportation and the accommodation to be used, subject to the provisions of this policy. All travel must be pre-authorized .

2.1.2 Personal travel can be booked through the PSAC Travel Agency but must be charged to a personal credit card.

2.1.3 Individuals travelling on PSAC business are entitled to transportation and accommodation that is comfortable and of good quality.  Allowance, rates, reimbursements and conditions of payment shall be sufficient to meet reasonable, legitimate expenses that are necessarily incurred as a result of the requirement to travel.

2.1.4 It is the responsibility of the person authorizing travel and the traveller to be familiar with this policy. Any questions regarding the application of this policy should be reviewed with the person authorizing the travel.

2.1.5  As a general rule, on a normal working day, travel is to commence from the traveller’s headquarters area.

2.1.6 For travel of distances over 100 km, car rental or when using commercial transportation and/or when overnight accommodation is required, a PSAC Travel Authorization and Requisition for Advance shall be completed by the PSAC staff arranging the travel.

2.1.7 Should a change in itinerary on route occur or if emergency travel is required, where pre-authorization is not possible, approval will be in accordance with the PSAC Travel Policy.

2.1.8 Where travel is continuous in nature, the authorization may be provided monthly. Example: unusual circumstances such as short term relocation.

2.1.9 Approval of all changes from the pre-authorized travel arrangements, such as adjustments to itinerary, changes in mode of transportation, revisions to work schedules that affect, for example, weekend travel home, and alterations to overnight accommodation arrangements should be obtained in advance.

2.1.10 An explanatory note concerning items not pre-authorized or changes to pre-authorized items should be included with the expense claim or a notation made on the claim.

2.2 Responsibilities

2.2.1 The PSAC:

• determines whether travel is necessary;
• ensures that this policy is available to all PSAC travellers; 
• ensures that the selection and reservation of appropriate arrangements (transportation, accommodation, advances, etc.) are consistent with the provisions of this policy.
• pre-authorizes travel on the applicable form; and
• verifies and approves travel expense claims.

2.2.2  The traveller is responsible for:  

• being familiar with the PSAC Travel Policy;
• obtaining authorization prior to travel;
• submitting fully completed travel expense claims with necessary supporting documentation, original receipts and explanations of changes as required;  
• submitting travel expense claims within 90 working days after completion of the travel.
• the safeguarding of travel advances and funds provided.

2.3 PSAC Travel Agent

2.3.1 Travel agent contact information:

Voyages W. E. Travel  25-A York Street, Ottawa, Ontario K1N 5S7 Tel.: 613-232-9908 or Toll free:  888-676-7747 (Ottawa) Fax : 613-232-9931 E-mail [email protected] web page: www.wetravel.net

Reservation Office Hours: Monday through Friday - 8:30 a.m. - 5:00 p.m. EST

800-663-4703 (Vancouver) (Vancouver office may only be contacted outside Ottawa regular hours)

Group Reservations (10 or more travellers)

If you have 10 or more people attending meetings, or different meetings of smaller numbers in the same city, please ensure you register your group event with W.E. Travel to obtain any available discounts.  

24 HOUR EMERGENCY TRAVEL CENTRE: 1-800-787-6030

2.3.2 A client profile form is necessary for each frequent traveller in order to save time when making their bookings. Individuals who occasionally travel on authorized PSAC business do not need a profile.  If a travel profile is not completed, the Travel Agent will request the information directly from the traveller, for example, seating preferences, special service requests, frequent travel program information, etc.

Please note personal credit card information may be requested as economy air and train fares only may be charged to the PSAC’s account. The travel agent requires the traveller’s credit card number to guarantee hotel reservations or for charging personal travel.  The card name, number and expiration date are required.  All information is kept confidential and is protected under the Travel Agent’s privacy policy.

2.4 Travel problems and complaints

2.4.1 All problems and complaints should be fully documented in writing and sent by email to the PSAC Convention, Conferences and Project Officer at  [email protected] .

To assist the PSAC and the Travel Agent in responding to queries, the following information should be included:

• Date of reservation and name of PSAC contact who made reservation
• Name of travel agent who made reservation
• Travel Agent Itinerary
• Clearly outline the details of the situation
• Ask for a response in writing

2.5 Travel advances

2.5.1 Travellers on PSAC business shall, upon request be provided with a travel advance to cover travel expenses not paid directly by the PSAC.

2.6 Gifts, hospitality and other benefits

2.6.1 Coupons, vouchers or other benefits such as accommodation, which are received due to delays, can be used by the traveller.  Claims should not be made for any such benefits that have been provided free of charge to the traveller.  The appropriate explanations should be written on the expense claim or an accompanying document. 

2.6.2 While on PSAC official business travel, travellers can collect and redeem benefits from Travel Loyalty Program(s) (TLP) also known as Frequent Flyer Points.  These benefits are for personal use and cannot be redeemed for cash value towards PSAC business travel.

2.7 PSAC Travel Authorization and Requisition for Advance-Internal form (for PSAC use only)

2.7.1 The PSAC Travel Authorization and Requisition for Advance is for internal use only and must be completed by PSAC staff. The form contains the following information:

•  the travel authorization number and budgetary codes;
•  the purpose and duration of the trip;
•  the location to be visited;
•  the dates and times of arrival and departure;
•  any pre-paid transportation, meals or accommodation;
•  the modes and classes of transportation authorized;
•  vehicle rental authorization, including vehicle size;
•  the amount of the travel advance authorized;
•  the types of accommodation, locations and daily rate; 
•  other projected expenses involved, e.g., weekend travel home; and, any special arrangements.

2.8 Receipts

2.8.1 If claims are submitted via the Member Expense Portal (MEP), receipts are not required unless selected for audit upon submission. Receipts must be retained by the traveller for a period of 2 years after the activity in case of future audits by the PSAC.

For claims submitted in hard copy form, original receipts must accompany the claim in order to be processed.

2.8.2 If a traveller is claiming return taxi, toll or ferry fares, he/she should submit a receipt for the return portion. However, one receipt is sufficient proof of payment, if the traveller attaches a receipt to his/her claim and indicates on the expense claim form that the amount being claimed is the fare times two (e.g. $25 x 2 = $50).  Should the receipt for the return fare be in excess of the amount reimbursed an additional claim may be submitted for the additional amount of the return fare.

2.8.3 The only expenses for which receipts are not required are as follows:

• meal allowances (unless otherwise specified);
• incidental expense allowances;
• taxis utilized for which the cost is $10.00 or less;
• kilometric allowance;
• parking meters or tolls.

2.9 Overpayments

2.9.1 The PSAC is required to recover all overpayments made to travellers. 

2.10 Travel beginning or ending at workplace

2.10.1 When a period in travel status begins or ends at the workplace, the traveller may incur extra travel costs on the first and/or last day because the regular workplace/home commuting pattern is disrupted.  Accordingly, the traveller shall be reimbursed for reasonable transportation costs incurred between the residence and the workplace.

2.11 Travel within the headquarters area

2.11.1 When a traveller is authorized to proceed on PSAC business within the headquarters area, other than the workplace, during their regular work day , the cost of taxi or transportation shall be paid at the PSAC kilometric rate found in Appendix A for the most direct route between the travellers’ workplace and the meeting location .

Necessary parking charges may also be reimbursed.

2.11.2 When a traveller is authorized to proceed on PSAC business within the headquarters area, other than the workplace, on a non-working day , the cost of taxi or transportation shall be paid at the PSAC kilometric rate found in Appendix A for the most direct route between the travellers’ residence and the meeting location.

2.11.3 When the PSAC requests that a traveller bring a privately owned motor vehicle to the workplace, or to travel to a destination within the headquarters area, and the traveller has demonstrated to the PSAC that a privately owned motor vehicle is not the traveller's normal mode of transportation to the workplace, the traveller may be reimbursed at the kilometric rate specified in Appendix A. Such reimbursement will be based on the most direct road route between the residence and the workplace/destination.

2.12 Rest Periods

2.12.1 To alleviate fatigue caused by time-zone changes or overnight travel, a suitable rest period of up to 10 hours may be allowed between the time the traveller arrives at the destination (home, hotel, event site) and the time the traveller is required to report for work. 

3 – INSURANCE

3.1 insurance plans and compensation.

3.1.1 In the event that a traveller is injured or dies while travelling on

PSAC business, the traveller or, where applicable, the traveller's dependants may be provided with additional protection, subject to the terms and conditions of the following authorities. Coverage will be provided if injuries are sustained while traveling to union activities or as a result of participation to Union activities which include attending conferences, meetings, demonstrations. 

• Chubb Insurance Company of Canada - Accident Insurance
• Diners Club International Travel Insurance - for travel charged to the PSAC’s Diners Club Corporate Card (W.E. Travel)

3.2 Travel outside Canada - Insurance

3.2.1 When travelling outside Canada, the cost of additional health insurance, such as that offered by private insurance companies (if not already provided by the Employer) is required.  Travellers are advised to confirm with their insurance agent that they are adequately insured. If not covered, the cost for the minimum required insurance will be reimbursed by the PSAC.

Any additional coverage purchased by the traveller beyond what is required will not be reimbursed.

3.3 Car rental insurance

3.3.1 It is the traveller’s responsibility to ensure that sufficient insurance coverage is included for the entire period that a car is rented for PSAC business.

3.3.2 Travellers should verify with their own personal automobile insurance provider or credit card company before renting a vehicle to ensure adequate third-party liability, personal injury and damage to property coverage. If none is available, then optional additional coverage for rental will be required and the cost will be reimbursed by the PSAC.

3.4 Privately Owned Motor Vehicles Insurance

3.4.1    Travellers are responsible for ensuring sufficient insurance coverage at all times for their privately owned motor vehicles when used for PSAC travel. 

Privately owned vehicles travel shall have at least the minimum provincial/territorial/state/country insurance coverage of liability and physical damage.

3.4.2 The PSAC is not responsible for reimbursing deductible amounts related to insurance coverage. The PSAC assumes no financial responsibility for privately owned motor vehicles other than paying the authorized kilometric rate or the maximum allowed for driving rate (depending on the authorization).

3.4.3 Travellers should ensure that their insurance covers any other PSAC travellers in the car.

4 – TRANSPORTATION

4.1 commercial transportation.

4.1.1 The selection of the mode and class of commercial transportation is made by the PSAC on the basis of cost, convenience, duration, safety and practicality.   The PSAC may authorize alternate arrangements for specific events (example: Convention, Conferences, etc.) for these reasons.

4.1.2 Commercial air transportation is the normal method of travel for distances in excess of 300 km (one way) for the reasons cited in Section 4.1.1.  When travel by commercial air carrier or by train presents significant inconvenience, or is not deemed practical by the PSAC, in terms of overall costs, the use of a privately owned motor vehicle (POMV) may be authorized. (See Section 4.6. for guidelines on use of POMV)

4.1.3 Trips of less than 300 kilometres (one way) are not normally authorized via commercial air transportation.  Instead commercial ground transportation (i.e.: train) should be considered where it is available, convenient and more economical. 

4.1.4 All commercial air and train transportation, are to be booked using the travel agency chosen by the PSAC and charged to the PSAC Corporate Credit Card unless otherwise authorized.

4.1.5 When commercial transportation by air or train is authorized, the PSAC Travel Agent will provide the traveller with the necessary prepaid electronic tickets.

4.1.6 When commercial transportation other than by air or train is authorized and used, the traveller shall be reimbursed actual and reasonable transportation costs based on receipts. Pre-approval is required.

4.1.7 Any penalty costs incurred as a result of changes or cancellations made by the traveller for personal reasons after tickets have been issued will be paid by the traveller, except in cases where penalty costs are the result of unusual circumstances or emergency situations beyond the control of the traveller. Such changes and exceptions require the authorization of the responsible signing authority.

4.2 Commercial air travel

4.2.1 All reservations for commercial air travel must be booked through the PSAC Travel Agent and charged to the PSAC Corporate Credit Card.  Air transportation should be used for distances in excess of 300 km (one way). 

4.2.2 If access to the PSAC Travel Agent is unavailable or, where it is not possible to use the services of the PSAC Travel Agent, a traveller will be reimbursed the actual and reasonable unionized commercial air transportation costs based on receipts.  In these circumstances tickets should be purchased directly from the carrier rather than through a travel agent.  Pre-approval is required and must be obtained for such travel.

4.2.3 The standard for air travel is the most economical class including advanced seating assignment and the reimbursement of one (1) baggage fee for each direction of travel (if not only already included in cost of ticket) on unionized carriers

4.2.4 Reimbursement of transportation costs for airfare and accommodation to an alternate location for personal reasons will not be reimbursed. However, it will be considered if it is more effective and pre-authorized.

4.2.5 Business/Executive Class air travel may be authorized in exceptional circumstances and where continuous air travel exceeds 9 hours. The National President, National Executive Vice-President and Branch Directors will have the responsibility for approval of all business/executive class travel based on the recommendations from the Coordinator. Supporting documents for deviations may be required.

4.3.1 All rail travel is to be booked using the travel agency chosen by PSAC and charged to the PSAC Corporate Credit Card.

4.3.2 If access to the PSAC Travel Agent is unavailable or, where it is not possible to use the services of the PSAC Travel Agent, a traveller will be reimbursed the actual and reasonable unionized commercial rail transportation costs based on receipts.  In these circumstances tickets should be purchased directly from the carrier rather than through a travel agent.  Pre-approval is required and must be obtained for such travel.

4.3.3 When rail travel is authorized it should normally be by economy class, however, business class travel may be authorized in certain circumstances based on the approval of the appropriate signing authority.

4.4.1 Unionized taxi services may be used when other more economical alternatives such as local transit or airport shuttle service are unavailable or impractical.

4.4.2 All claims for taxi fares in excess of $10.00 (one way) require a receipt. 

4.4.3 While in travel status taxi fares shall be reimbursed to and from the carrier’s terminal to the traveller’s permanent residence or place of work.

4.5 Car rentals  

4.5.1 Rental vehicles may be pre-authorized where this mode of travel is economical and practical.  The traveller is responsible for providing the reasons for the rental and the cost savings.

4.5.2 Travellers should use the PSAC Travel Agent for reservations and rentals.  The PSAC Travel Agent reserves cars with unionized companies whenever possible and at preferred rates.  Only the authorized traveller should be registered as the driver on the car rental agreement.

4.5.3 An intermediate vehicle is the usual standard.   Higher vehicle categories may be pre-authorized where the bulk or weight of the goods to be transported, or an extenuating circumstance warrants the authorization of a higher vehicle category (such as unsafe road conditions or if two or more passengers have been authorized to travel together).

4.5.4 In an emergency, where the Travel Agent cannot book car rentals, travellers should deal directly with unionized car rental companies wherever possible.

4.5.5 If the rental charges are higher than those obtained by the PSAC Travel

Agent an explanation should be provided on the travel claim. Drop-off charges will be authorized where it is cost beneficial and should be pre-authorized.

4.5.6 The traveller is required to provide a credit card for all car rental reservations and at the time of pickup at the car rental location.

4.5.7 Insurance - See Section 3.3, Car Rental insurance.

4.5.8 Gasoline expenses will be reimbursed by the PSAC with receipts. Travellers are required to use the most direct routes and claim for distances driven while on PSAC business travel (from the authorized point of departure to the destination and return and any other distances driven on PSAC business at the destination).

4.6 Privately Owned Motor Vehicle (POMV)

4.6.1 When a traveller is pre-authorized to proceed on PSAC business, travel between home and a carrier's terminal, taking into consideration the necessary luggage involved, shall be by the most economical and practical means. Use of private vehicles shall be reimbursed at the PSAC kilometric rate (see Appendix A) for the portions driven by the traveller, plus parking charges where it is cost-effective to leave a private vehicle at the public carrier's terminal during the period of absence. 

4.6.2 Travellers who are beginning or ending a period in travel status and are authorized to drive a privately owned motor vehicle to and from the carrier's terminal, such as an airport, shall be reimbursed the kilometric rate specified up to the distance between their home and the carrier's terminal. 

4.6.3 Travellers may use their own vehicles for trips where the distance does not exceed 300 kilometres one way. The PSAC may authorize alternate arrangements for specific events (such as Convention and Conferences, etc.), where commercial transportation such as train would be the approved mode of transportation and use of POMV would be up to the most economical train fare. (See Section 4.1.1)

4.6.4 When commercial transportation is not available or practical , a privately owned motor vehicle, may be authorized where this method is practical and economical.  Payments in excess of those normally incurred such as road, ferry, bridge, tunnel tolls and parking charges shall be reimbursed based upon receipts.  When a privately owned motor vehicle is the approved method of travel, claims for taxi fares are not normally authorized.

4.6.5 A traveller may request to travel by POMV to suit his or her own convenience; if pre-authorized the cost should not exceed the Maximum Allowed for Driving rate found in Section 4.8.

4.6.6 In the interest of safe driving, travellers should not normally be expected to drive more than:

• 250 kilometres after having worked a full day; 
• 350 kilometres after having worked one-half day; or
• 500 kilometres on any day when the traveller has not worked.

These guidelines apply only under the following circumstances:

• If commercial transportation is not available.
• If the use of a privately owned motor vehicle has been deemed to be the most practical method of transportation by the PSAC.
• If the PSAC requests that a traveller uses a privately owned motor vehicle.

For travellers who choose to use their privately owned motor vehicle to suit their own convenience, guidelines found under Section 4.8 (Maximum Allowed for Driving) shall apply.

4.6.7 The PSAC determines the kilometric allowance rates for PSAC travellers. 

The kilometric allowance rates are subject to PSAC review and authorization.  PSAC kilometric rates can be found in Appendix A.   The kilometric allowance rate payable is the rate applicable to the province or territory where the vehicle is registered. 

4.6.8 Travellers are required to use the most direct routes and claim for distances driven while on PSAC business travel (from the authorized point of departure to the destination and return and any other distances driven on PSAC business at the destination).

4.6.9 Insurance - See Section 3.4, Privately Owned Motor Vehicles-Insurance

4.7 Traveller as a passenger in a private vehicle

4.7.1 Travellers may arrange to have another person drive them to, or pick them up from a public carrier’s terminal.  In either case, the amount claimable must be based on the most direct road route and each round trip cost claimed cannot exceed the one-way taxi fare to and from the carrier’s terminal.  Kilometric rates can be found in Appendix A. 

4.7.2 When a traveller is authorized to travel as a passenger in a private vehicle to his or her destination, where the driver is not eligible to claim a kilometric allowance, the authorized traveller is entitled to reimbursement of the kilometric rate (see Appendix A) or the Maximum Allowed for Driving (See Section 4.8), depending on the situation.

4.7.3 When a traveller is authorized to travel as a passenger in a private vehicle to his or her destination, where the driver is also an authorized traveller who is eligible to claim a kilometric allowance (see Appendix A) or the Maximum Allowed for Driving (Section 4.8), only one individual is entitled to claim reimbursement for use of the private vehicle.

4.7.4 Insurance - See Section 3.4, Privately Owned Motor Vehicle - Insurance.

4.8 Maximum Allowed for Driving

4.8.1 A traveller who chooses to use his/her privately owned motor vehicle to suit his/her own convenience for distances of more than 300 km , one way, will be reimbursed for kilometric distance at the applicable rate plus parking, up to a maximum of $700 (round trip) .

4.8.2 The traveller authorized to travel by private vehicle shall be entitled to claim expenses, salary entitlement and meals in accordance with rates specified in Appendix A for the period of the absence that would have been necessary had commercial transportation been used.

4.9 Parking

4.9.1 Self-parking costs will be reimbursed upon presentation of an original receipt, where the use of a vehicle has been approved.  Valet parking charges are not reimbursed unless the hotel or venue prohibits guests from parking their own vehicles.

5 – TRAVELLERS WITH DISABILITIES

Where a traveller with a disability incurs additional expenses related to the accommodation of that disability, the PSAC will reimburse these expenses provided they are reasonable and pre-authorized . Receipts are required.

6 – ILLNESS, INJURY AND DEATH WHILE IN TRAVEL STATUS

6.1 illness and injury while in travel status.

6.1.1 Payment for the use of a suitable conveyance, such as an ambulance or taxi, shall be authorized where a traveller becomes ill or is injured while on duty or while in travel status and the nature of the illness or injury requires that the traveller be transported to a medical treatment facility, from the accommodation occupied while in travel status.

6.1.2 A traveller shall be reimbursed the necessary expenses incurred as a result of illness or accident occurring while in travel status, to the extent that the expenses were additional to those which might have been incurred had the traveller not been absent from home, and which were not otherwise payable to the traveller under an insurance policy, or other authority.

6.1.3 A traveller who becomes ill or is injured while in a foreign country will, where practical, be provided with a justifiable, accountable advance when incurring sizeable medical expenses.  Such advances would subsequently be repaid to the PSAC under the traveller's private insurance plans, or other authority. See Section 3.2 Travel outside Canada – Insurance.

6.1.4 When a traveller's condition resulting from illness or injury while in travel status warrants the presence of the next-of-kin or a representative of the family, actual and reasonable travel expenses in accordance with this policy may be reimbursed, subject to the PSAC National President's approval

6.2 Death while in travel status

6.2.1 If a traveller dies while in travel status, the PSAC shall authorize the payment of necessary expenses that are additional to those which might have been incurred had the death occurred in the headquarters area.  Included in the expenses payable under this article are: 

• at the place where death occurred: ambulance, hearse, embalming, outside crate (but not the cost of a coffin) and any other services or items required by local health laws, and
• transportation of the remains to the headquarters area or, if desired by the survivors, to another location, up to the cost of transportation to the headquarters area. Costs for an escort over and above the costs included in transporting the remains are payable only when law requires the attendance of an escort.

7 – ACCOMMODATION

7.1 reimbursement and standards.

7.1.1 It is the responsibility of the PSAC to select accommodation for travellers.  The traveller shall be reimbursed for actual and reasonable expenses for commercial unionized accommodation.  Receipts are required for payments in commercial accommodation.

Unless work-related reasons require the use of specific accommodation, a traveller's request for other unionized commercial or non-commercial accommodation shall be considered in advance by the PSAC.

7.1.2 It is the responsibility of the traveller to identify himself or herself as a PSAC traveller in order to ensure the most economical and unionized rate for commercial accommodation (if one is available).

7.1.3 A list of commercial unionized accommodation in Canada is available in Appendix C.

7.1.4 All hotel accommodations are to be booked using the PSAC travel agency and charged to the personal credit card of the traveller. If the traveller does not have a personal credit card, the traveller should contact the PSAC staff responsible for the activity who will assist with the guarantee of the reservation. Traveller is then responsible for the payment of hotel expenses (unless part of a contracted room block) and is reimbursed for room and tax charges through the travel expense claim (traveller is responsible for any personal or incidental expenses that they may have charged to their room).

• When the traveller chooses alternate commercial accommodation from that

designated by the PSAC, the hotel must be unionized. The PSAC will pay the alternate hotel cost up to the maximum of the cost of authorized accommodation.

7.1.6 Travellers attending an activity on the PSAC’s behalf, where the host venue is not unionized, may be authorized to reserve accommodation at this venue, provided that alternate, reasonable, practical and unionized accommodation is not available. A brief explanation will be required as well as a Branch Director’s or AEC Officer’s approval.

7.2 Cancellations, guaranteed reservations and hotel overcharges

7.2.1 When travel plans change and the accommodation will not be required; the traveller shall ensure that reservations are cancelled through the PSAC Travel Agent or directly with the commercial establishment(s).  Proof of cancellation should be obtained (i.e., cancellation number and agent's name).

7.2.2 It is the responsibility of the traveller to cancel reservations to avoid “no-show” charges. When circumstances beyond the traveller’s control prevent the traveller from cancelling the reservation, the “no-show” charges may be reimbursed by PSAC.

7.2.3 It is the traveller's responsibility to question the commercial establishment when the rate charged is in excess of the negotiated rates or as quoted by the PSAC Travel Agent.

7.3 Private non-commercial accommodation

7.3.1 Although travellers generally stay in commercial accommodation, the

PSAC will authorize a traveller to make arrangements for private, non-commercial accommodation.  A traveller who makes such arrangements shall be reimbursed an amount in accordance with the PSAC Travel Policy (see Appendix A), for each night this accommodation is occupied in Canada or abroad (US$ in the United States).   The total cost of the private, non-commercial accommodation rate plus appropriate and economical local ground transportation should not exceed the commercial accommodation costs that would otherwise have been authorized.

7.4 Accommodation within headquarters area 

7.4.1 Reimbursement for overnight accommodation within a traveller's

headquarters area shall be authorized in certain circumstances subject to prior approval.  Examples may include accommodation for such purposes as in-residence conferences, meetings, training courses and collective bargaining sessions that require travellers to remain on-site.

8 – MEALS, INCIDENTALS AND OTHER EXPENSES

The PSAC sets the meal allowance rates which are subject to PSAC review and authorization. The PSAC meal allowance rates can be found in Appendix A. 

8.1 General

8.1.1 The meal allowance rates contained in this policy are based on the

consumption of meals in restaurants and are directed at travellers who are in travel status away from the vicinity of their headquarters area.

8.1.2 Breakfast can be claimed if traveller leaves home before 8 a.m. Dinner can be claimed if traveller arrives home after 6 p.m.

8.1.3 Meal allowance rates for locations in Canada and the continental United States are found in Appendix A.  To ensure that these rates remain adequate, they will be reviewed and, if warranted, adjusted based on changes in costs.

8.1.4 For each day or part day in travel status where overnight accommodation is authorized, a traveller shall be paid a meal allowance for each breakfast, lunch and dinner when applicable.

8.1.5 For each day that the traveller is out of the office on PSAC business, the appropriate meal allowances will be paid.  No additional amount may be claimed for meals, or for gratuities associated with meals. Receipts are not required.

8.2 Meals provided

8.2.1 When a full meal is provided by the PSAC as part of catering for meetings, conferences and other activities, the traveller shall not claim, nor be reimbursed the meal allowance. However, travellers may claim meal allowances even when full meals have been provided as part of the accommodation rate or as part of the commercial carrier’s ticket price.

(“Full meal” in 8.2.1 does not refer to snacks or light refreshments provided as part of a morning break for example (such as a muffin and coffee) or to a welcome reception which is not intended to replace a meal).

8.3 Incidentals

8.3.1 The PSAC determines the incidental expense allowance rate which are subject to PSAC review and authorization. The PSAC meal allowance rates can be found in Appendix A.

8.3.2 When overnight accommodation is authorized and used, a traveller shall be paid an incidental expense allowance that covers a number of miscellaneous expenses, including the cost of gratuities, for each day or part day in travel status as follows:

• when a traveller visits locations in Canada and the United States on the same day, the incidental expense allowance paid shall be that for the location where the day commences;
• for extended periods in travel status of two months or more, the incidental expense allowance is included as part of the appropriate meal allowance rate and hence, are not reimbursed separately.
• The incidental expense allowance is not paid where, for example, a late-night flight arrives in the traveller's headquarters area after midnight).

8.4 Per Diem (flat rate)

8.4.1 A reasonable per diem flat rate may be paid in lieu of meal and incidental expense allowances, kilometric distances, parking, and taxi.  The amount of per diem and the items to be included are authorized by the PSAC for each event. 

8.5 Telephone calls

8.5.1 A traveller on travel status within Canada and the continental United States shall be reimbursed the extra costs incurred for local and long-distance telephone calls for PSAC business. Any surcharges (i.e.: if calling from a hotel), will be reimbursed. Receipts are required.

8.5.2 For each night a traveller remains in overnight travel status they shall be reimbursed the cost of one ten (10) minute long distance call. Related service charges shall form part of the cost of the call.

8.6 Excess luggage and other related expenses

8.6.1 A traveller shall be reimbursed costs incurred in transporting PSAC-owned

equipment or materials at excess luggage rates, if the PSAC determines that it is necessary for the equipment or materials are to be taken on the trip. Receipts are required.

8.6.2 Excess luggage rates for personal items will not be reimbursed.

8.6.3 A traveller who is in travel status for 10 nights or more may be reimbursed the excess luggage rates. Receipts are required.

8.6.4 Travellers shall be entitled to reimbursement of the cost to cover repairs to or replacement of lost or damaged luggage while travelling, except where such coverage is provided by the airline carrier. Where coverage is not provided, travellers will require pre-approval from the PSAC prior to incurring the expense and may be required to submit a statement from the carrier.

9 - FAMILY CARE WHILE IN TRAVEL STATUS

9.1.   psac family care policy.

The PSAC fully recognizes that family is not solely defined as consisting of “mother and father with children” and may take several forms including, but not limited to: single parents, same-sex parents, dependant relatives residing in the household.

The objective of this policy is to remove one of the barriers which prevent members from participating in union activities.

The Family Care Policy (FCP) is intended to assist the member in covering additional fees incurred as a direct result of attending an authorized PSAC activity.

To achieve a maximum amount of flexibility, every effort will be made to provide on-site child care where Early Childhood Educated (ECE) or certified caregivers are available for hire.  When on-site childcare is provided, caregivers will be made available for evening sessions that form part of the schedule of events.

Eligibility

Where the member is the sole caregiver at the time of the authorized union activity, the FCP will cover costs for care during the day outside normal work/school/daycare hours. Family care costs that would have ordinarily been incurred during work hours had the member been at his/her place of work are not covered.

The FCP shall not cover cost for care provided by a spouse/partner, former spouse/partner with custody rights or a relative residing in the household. 

Members are entitled to claim fees related to the care of the following family members who reside on a full or part-time basis with the member:

• child under 18 years of age;
• a person with a disability;
• an adult, who is a dependant, requiring care.

How to Claim

Original receipts must be attached to Family Care expense claims if submitted in hard copy form.  If claims are submitted via the Member Expense Portal (MEP), receipts are not required unless care was provided by licensed agency/attendant or if selected for audit upon submission. Receipts must be retained by the member for a period of 2 years after the activity in case of future audits by the PSAC.

Receipts must include the following information:

• Caregiver’s full name
• Caregiver’s full address
• Caregiver’s telephone number
• Caregiver’s license number (if applicable)
• Detailed dates and hours when the care was provided for each individual family member
• Amount charged
• Caregiver’s signature

Reimbursement of Fees

• the actual amount up to a maximum of $15 per hour, up to a maximum rate of $100 (for each 24-hour period) for the first family member;
• the actual amount up to a maximum of $15 per hour, up to a maximum rate of $70 (for each 24-hour period) for each additional family member.

A “24-hour period” is defined as care provided between the hours of 7:30 a.m. to 7:29 a.m. (the following day).

• If care is provided by a licensed agency/attendant, the actual fees will be reimbursed.
• increased shared accommodation costs will be covered;
• and where a dinner does not form part of the program, an allowance  of $25 per child, per day may be reimbursed. (Reimbursement will be based on participant’s approved travel schedule).

Pre-Approved Exceptions

Upon request, consideration will be given to special needs or unusual circumstances resulting in costs which exceed the above rates and expenses allowable.  Detailed information must be provided in advance for pre-approval.

10 - EXTENDED PERIODS IN TRAVEL STATUS

10.1 general.

10.1.1 This section of the policy applies to PSAC staff on short term assignments in different location from home or to members on union business (i.e.: negotiating teams) over several weeks.

10.2 Weekend travel home

10.2.1 A traveller who is in travel status that extends through or beyond a weekend is eligible for weekend travel home provisions subject to pre-authorization and the provisions contained in this policy. Weekend travel home is intended to remove the hardship of absence from home.

Authorization will be based on the following criteria:

• work schedule permits the traveller to be absent; and
• appropriate private or public transportation is available, and its use is both practical and reasonable.

10.2.2 Provided that the requisite criteria are met, a traveller in travel status who returns home over a weekend shall be reimbursed actual transportation costs up to an amount not exceeding the cost of maintaining the traveller in travel status (i.e., accommodation, meals and incidental expense allowances, telephone calls home).

10.2.3 When a traveller is in travel status for a period of more than thirty (30) consecutive days where travel home every weekend is impractical (due to distance), provided that the traveller is in continuous travel status, the traveller may return home on average every third weekend.

The traveller will be reimbursed the most economical return airfare, the necessary ground transportation to and from the carrier’s terminal and applicable meals. Meals and incidentals at weekend destination (i.e.: home) will not be reimbursed.

10.2.4 When the traveller plans to be away for the weekend from the travel location, the traveller is responsible for cancelling hotel arrangements at the travel location. 

10.2.5 Provided that the traveller is not required by the PSAC to remain at the duty travel location, a traveller may choose to spend the weekend at an alternate location. In order to be eligible for reimbursement, the traveller shall cancel charges for accommodation (and meals provided on-site) at the duty travel location, provide a receipt for alternate commercial accommodation and be eligible for reimbursement up to the amount that would have been incurred if the traveller had remained at the duty travel location.

10.3 Alternative to weekend travel home

10.3.1 As an alternative to weekend travel home by the PSAC authorized traveller, their spouse/dependant may be authorized to travel to the PSAC traveller’s assigned work location, provided that the provisions contained in the Travel Policy are met.

The transportation expenses (airfare and ground transportation) incurred by the spouse/dependant for a round trip to the traveller’s travel location will be reimbursed.  Such travel should be booked through the PSAC Travel Agent. Receipts are required, and the cost incurred by the other person for this round trip must be equal to or less than the round trip cost if the traveller had exercised the option of returning home.

The PSAC will only cover transportation costs for spouse/dependant and will not be responsible for any other expenses incurred by this individual.

10.4 Other extended travel periods

10.4.1 There are situations where the traveller is required to leave their headquarters area for a number of months to live in another community for reasons of training or work assignments.

10.4.2 When the period of stay at another location or at successive locations is two months or less, the traveller will be considered to be in travel status.

10.4.3 When the period of stay at another location or at successive locations is in excess of two months the traveller will be considered to be in extended travel status and appropriate arrangements will be made by the PSAC for suitable self-contained accommodation obtainable at weekly or monthly rental rates. 

10.4.4 For periods in extended travel status of two months or more, incidental expenses are reimbursed as part of the composite meal and incidental allowances rates (Per Diem).

11 – TRAVEL OUTSIDE CANADA

11.1.1 This section includes only those provisions that are unique to travel outside Canada and overseas travel. The general policy also applies to these travel situations except as outlined in this Section.

11.2 Approval

11.2.1 Approval of all travel outside Canada is delegated to the National President. 

11.3 Accommodation

11.3.1 All hotel accommodations outside Canada should be booked using the PSAC travel agency and charged to the personal credit card of the traveller. Government hotel directories shall also serve as a guide for the cost, location and selection of accommodation. Only those establishments that provide adequate accommodation at reasonable rates should be used.  Where accommodation is available at establishments that are not listed but offer more competitive rates, the use of such accommodation is encouraged. 

11.4.1 Daily meal allowances apply to each full day in travel status and recognize that travellers are often restricted to the vicinity of the major hotels and related higher restaurant meal costs.  The authorized rate is the established rate for the travel location and such rate has already been converted for Canadian currency rate.

11.4.2 Meals taken during part days in travel status are reimbursed in accordance with the individual meal rates as outlined in the international meal and incidental allowance rates in Appendix B.

11.4.3 Private, Government, Self-Contained, Non-Commercial accommodation

When a traveller occupies private, government, PSAC, non-commercial or self-contained accommodation while travelling on official PSAC business to a location abroad for which an authorized meal allowance has been established, an amount equal to 100 per cent of that allowance shall be paid. 

11.4.4 Unspecified Rates

Where no meal allowance has been established in a given country or where sudden changes in currency exchange rates or high inflationary trends may invalidate the specified meal allowance, actual and reasonable expenses shall be reimbursed.  

11.5 Incidentals

11.5.1 The incidental expense allowance paid shall be based on the foreign meal allowances as outlined in Appendix B, as appropriate, or actual and reasonable costs where no meal allowances are listed for a given country.  Incidentals are calculated based upon meal allowances paid for each day or part day in travel status where sleeping accommodation is authorized.  When incidentals are claimed, no additional amount may be claimed for gratuities.

11.6 Other expenses

11.6.1 A traveller on travel status outside Canada shall be reimbursed the costs incurred for local and long-distance telephone calls necessarily placed as a result of PSAC business.  Receipts are required for all calls placed while in this travel status.

11.6.2 The costs incurred in converting reasonable sums to foreign currencies and re-converting any unused balance to Canadian currency shall be reimbursed based on receipts.  Where such receipts are not attached to the travel claim, the average of the Bank of Canada currency exchange rates shall apply, based on a random sample of days in travel status selected by the PSAC.  However, where a traveller has not provided receipts for travel in a country where a recognized tourist rate of exchange exists, this rate shall be used as the basis for calculating the reimbursement of expenses.

11.6.3 Insurance - See Section 3.2, Travel outside Canada – Insurance.

11.6.4 Travellers shall be entitled to reimbursement of the cost to cover repairs to or replacement of lost or damaged luggage while travelling, except where such coverage is provided by the airline carrier. Where coverage is not provided, travellers will require pre-approval from the PSAC prior to incurring the expense and may be required to submit a statement from the carrier.

11.6.5 When a traveller is required to proceed outside Canada on authorized PSAC business, the PSAC shall reimburse costs for obtaining an appropriate official passport or visa, and any required inoculations, vaccinations, X-rays and certificates of health, at no expense to the traveller.  

12 – APPENDICES

APPENDIX A – PSAC Rates – Meals & incidental allowances and kilometric rates

APPENDIX B – Daily meal rates at locations abroad

APPENDIX C – Unionized Hotels Directory in Canada - To come

Join our mailing list

Join Our Mailing List

Notre liste de diffusion

• Skip to main content
• Skip to site information

Language selection

Help us to improve our website. Take our survey !

Travel outside Canada

It is important to be prepared and to expect the unexpected wherever in the world you may be. Here is helpful information on health and safety, travel documents, Canada-U.S border wait times, travelling with children and more.

Measles cases are increasing worldwide

Before travelling, check that you and your family have received the recommended measles vaccinations.

Do not travel if you have symptoms of measles or have been in contact with someone with measles.

If you develop symptoms of measles after your return to Canada, call a health care provider right away.

Global Measles Notice

Services and information

Travel advice and advisories.

Official Government of Canada travel information

Travel Advice and Advisories archives

Government of Canada’s Travel Advice and Advisories archives from November 16, 2012 to the present

Health and safety outside Canada

Essential information on travel health and safety risks and how to prevent them

Travel documents

Passports, visas, international driving permits and other documents you will need when you travel abroad

Types of travellers

Find travel information specific to dual citizens, women, older people, 2SLGBTQI+ people and other types of travellers

Canada to U.S. border wait times

Regularly updated list of wait times at border crossing points for drivers going to the U.S. from Canada

• Registration of Canadians Abroad

Sign up with the Registration of Canadians Abroad service to stay connected to Canada in case of an emergency abroad or an emergency at home

Children and travel

Everything you need to know to travel safely with children abroad

Living abroad

Be informed and prepared for the benefits and challenges of working, studying, retiring, volunteering or travelling on business abroad before you leave Canada

Resources for educators, students and travel counsellors

Online training and web-based resources for educators, students and travel counsellors

Publications

Ordering and reading our wide range of publications is a good first step to a safe and healthy trip abroad

Cannabis and international travel

Understand and avoid the risks related to cannabis and international travel

Travelling and money

Information about using cash, credit cards and debit cards abroad, taxation and travelling with $10,000 or more

Schengen Area

Important information for travellers to Europe

What we are doing

Policies, acts and regulations.

• Citizenship Act
• Canadian Air Transport Security Authority Act
• Department of Foreign Affairs, Trade and Development Act
• Public Health Agency of Canada Act
• Bon voyage, but... Essential information for Canadian travellers
• Travelling with children
• Well on Your Way - A Canadian's Guide to Healthy Travel Abroad

All related publications

• CATSA claims forms
• Recommended consent letter for children travelling abroad

Before travelling, check that you and your family have received the recommended measles vaccinations and know what symptoms to look out for.

A quick searchable guide to what you can and cannot bring on a plane.

A free service provided by Global Affairs Canada that keeps you connected to Canada in case of an emergency abroad or at home.

The federal government under Trudeau is bigger — but not as big as it used to be

Measured as a percentage of the population, the federal public service is smaller than it was in the mid-1980s.

Social Sharing

Earlier this year, the Public Service Commission of Canada reported that the size of the federal public service had reached a record new high . According to Treasury Board Secretariat data, Ottawa employed 357,247 public servants in 2023.

That also marked a significant increase over where the public service stood when Justin Trudeau's government came to office in 2015. At the time, TBS said the federal public service employed 257,034 people.

But something else reached a record size in 2023 — Canada itself. And to account for the fact that the country the federal government serves is always growing, it might make more sense to measure the size of the public service as a share of the total population.

The federal public service represented 0.90 per cent of the Canadian population in 2023. That's still larger than its share of the population in 2015 (0.72 per cent). But it's not a record.

According to data from the TBS that goes back to 1980, the federal public service's share of the population peaked at 0.99 per cent in 1983 and 1984. That figure began to fall thereafter, but it was still at or above 0.90 per cent in every year from 1980 to 1992.

On the eve of the Liberal government's eighth budget, and with the size and shape of the federal government becoming a focus of political debate, it's worth taking stock of what has changed during the Trudeau era in Ottawa — and placing it in its historical context.

And on a few broad measures, the trend is similar to what the data on the public service indicates. Under Trudeau, the federal government is bigger than it was in 2015. But it's still not as big as it used to be.

Trudeau reversed a trend toward smaller government

The federal government's spending, revenues and debt also can be measured against the size of Canada's economy. That allows for some broad historical comparisons.

In the last full fiscal year of Stephen Harper's Conservative government, the ratio of total program spending to GDP was 12.8 per cent. For the most recent fiscal year — 2022-2023 — total program spending amounted to 16.1 per cent of GDP.

(The original version of this story incorrectly used program spending figures that excluded net actuarial losses and gains related to pensions and benefits. A government accounting change in 2019 resulted in those actuarial figures being listed separately. For the sake of comparing numbers across decades, actuarial losses need to be included. As a result, program spending in 2014-2015 was 12.8 per cent, not 12.5 per cent. And spending in 2022-2023 was 16.1 per cent, not 15.8 per cent. Other numbers have been amended below.)

That's not a small increase. But 16.1 per cent is still below the non-pandemic peak of 18.3 per cent — in 1984.

Revenue figures tell a similar story.

In 1992, federal revenues were 18.0 per cent of GDP. After several rounds of broad tax reductions — including the Harper government's decision to cut the GST by two points — total federal revenues came to 14.0 per cent of GDP in 2015. For the last fiscal year, revenues were 16.1 per cent.

As a percentage of GDP, the federal debt is also higher than it was in 2015 but still lower than its peak. The debt-to-GDP ratio for last year was 42.2. In 2015, it was 31.5.

But a simple line graph also shows how much of that increase is a result of the pandemic. In the last full fiscal year before COVID-19 swept the planet, the debt-to-GDP ratio was 31.2.

Federal debt charges were 1.3 per cent of GDP last year and are set to rise to 1.8 per cent next year. The public debt charge in Harper's last year in office was 1.2 per cent. But public debt charges were also several times larger in previous decades.

Looking at federal spending as a share of GDP isn't the only way to measure the size of government. Per capita spending , for instance, suggests that the federal government is spending more than it ever has.

But per capita spending also suggests that Harper ran the second-most expensive federal government ever. Even Conservatives might be reluctant to embrace that metric.

Any assessment of the fiscal health of the nation also has to consider the situation at the provincial level. While much will be made next week of the state of the federal deficit, eight provinces have now projected deficits for the coming fiscal year.

But when measured against GDP and viewed in the context of the last 40 years, the story is that the Trudeau Liberals have broken with a 30-year trend toward a smaller federal government — but without quite returning the government to the size it was before the cuts began.

Right-sizing government?

Even the Liberals might admit that some of their room to spend was created by the restraint imposed by previous governments. But a more activist government is also basically what they promised in 2015 — epitomized by their explicit decision to run deficits.

"The point I make to people is, Canadians actually kind of wanted all of that new spending," Tyler Meredith, a former senior policy adviser in the Trudeau government, said in an interview this week. "They wanted the [Canada Child Benefit], they wanted investments in Indigenous communities. They wanted additional defence spending. They wanted investments in decarbonization and climate action."

• Freeland doesn't rule out new taxes on wealthy or corporate Canada in upcoming budget
• Federal government plans to lease public lands for construction through new housing strategy
• New defence spending will still leave Canada $6B to $7B short of NATO target, Blair says

One way to look at the change, Meredith said, is that "perhaps what we learned through the 2000s is that government got too small. And now, actually, we're really kind of right-sizing government for some of the big challenges that we face."

A fuller accounting would be necessary to explain everything that has contributed to the increase in government spending. But the Liberals surely would be happy to point to a few things.

According to the government's own figures, spending on Indigenous communities has increased from $11 billion in 2016 to $30 billion in 2024. The Canada Child Benefit amalgamated several existing programs but added funding, and was later indexed to inflation. New funding for child care was rolled out in 2021. And the federal government is now spending billions more on housing and clean technology.

(The federal carbon tax and rebates also add 0.3 per cent of GDP to both revenue and spending totals.)

Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre tends not to focus on such things when he talks about reducing the size of government. He prefers to talk about funding for the Canada Infrastructure Bank or the public service's spending on management consultants and projects like ArriveCan.

Whether Poilievre can devise a plan to balance the budget in the short-term while only touching things voters don't care too much about remains to be seen. But the public service's use of outside contractors suggests that, whatever the size of the government,  the talent and resources it has on hand also matter  — and solving that problem might end up requiring more investment.

How big should the federal government be?

Sean Speer, a former policy adviser to Stephen Harper, wrote last fall that the federal government had now come to reflect "Stephen Harper's tax rates and Justin Trudeau's spending preferences" and that those two things were "ultimately irreconcilable." Speer concluded that something had to give.

As noted above, Speer's frame isn't entirely accurate — federal revenues have increased since the Conservatives left office. Meredith notes that those increases have been achieved without broad-based tax hikes. Shortly after coming to office, the Trudeau government raised taxes on those earning $200,000 or more, but since then it has largely focused on closing loopholes and ensuring compliance.

But there's still a gap between revenues and spending. Forecasting far into the future, the last fall economic update projected a deficit of $15 billion in 2029. And Meredith said there's a debate to be had about whether more revenue is needed to pay for further demands, from health care to national defence to decarbonization.

A poll released by the Angus Reid Institute last week showed that 59 per cent of Canadians thought the federal government was spending "too much." But that sentiment plummeted when respondents were asked about specific areas of spending: just 22 per cent of those polled said Ottawa was spending too much on social programs, while 32 per cent said environmental measures were getting more money than they were worth.

Conversely, 48 per cent of respondents said the government spends "too little" on national defence. Those voters might wish to see Canada hit the NATO target for defence spending — but the parliamentary budget officer has reported that reaching that goal would require $13 to $18 billion in additional annual spending.

All these numbers frame what could be a consequential debate over the next year and a half about how the federal government has evolved, and what it should be and do going forward.

Corrections

• In 2019, the federal government changed the way it accounts for program expenses to specify its net actuarial losses or gains related to "public sector pensions and other employee and veteran future benefits as a separate category of expenses." The original version of this piece did not reflect how those actuarial losses and gains were accounted for in the government's fiscal reference tables and changes have been made to reflect that error. Once actuarial losses are included, total program spending as a share of GDP is somewhat higher in each year from 2008-2009 to 2022-2023. As well, references to projected totals for future years have been removed because projections for actuarial losses or gains as a share of GDP were not immediately available. Apr 14, 2024 12:18 PM ET

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Senior writer

Aaron Wherry has covered Parliament Hill since 2007 and has written for Maclean's, the National Post and the Globe and Mail. He is the author of Promise & Peril, a book about Justin Trudeau's years in power.

• Open access
• Published: 19 April 2024

A methodology for estimating SARS-CoV-2 importation risk by air travel into Canada between July and November 2021

• Rachael M. Milwid 1 , 6   na1 ,
• Vanessa Gabriele-Rivet 1 , 6   na1 ,
• Nicholas H. Ogden 1 , 3 , 6 ,
• Patricia Turgeon 1 , 3 , 6 ,
• Aamir Fazil 2 ,
• David London 4 ,
• Simon de Montigny 5 &
• Erin E. Rees 1 , 3 , 6  

BMC Public Health volume  24 , Article number:  1088 ( 2024 ) Cite this article

115 Accesses

15 Altmetric

Metrics details

Estimating rates of disease importation by travellers is a key activity to assess both the risk to a country from an infectious disease emerging elsewhere in the world and the effectiveness of border measures. We describe a model used to estimate the number of travellers infected with SARS-CoV-2 into Canadian airports in 2021, and assess the impact of pre-departure testing requirements on importation risk.

A mathematical model estimated the number of essential and non-essential air travellers infected with SARS-CoV-2, with the latter requiring a negative pre-departure test result. The number of travellers arriving infected (i.e. imported cases) depended on air travel volumes, SARS-CoV-2 exposure risk in the departure country, prior infection or vaccine acquired immunity, and, for non-essential travellers, screening from pre-departure molecular testing. Importation risk was estimated weekly from July to November 2021 as the number of imported cases and percent positivity (PP; i.e. imported cases normalised by travel volume). The impact of pre-departure testing was assessed by comparing three scenarios: baseline (pre-departure testing of all non-essential travellers; most probable importation risk given the pre-departure testing requirements), counterfactual scenario 1 (no pre-departure testing of fully vaccinated non-essential travellers), and counterfactual scenario 2 (no pre-departure testing of non-essential travellers).

In the baseline scenario, weekly imported cases and PP varied over time, ranging from 145 to 539 cases and 0.15 to 0.28%, respectively. Most cases arrived from the USA, Mexico, the United Kingdom, and France. While modelling suggested that essential travellers had a higher weekly PP (0.37 – 0.65%) than non-essential travellers (0.12 – 0.24%), they contributed fewer weekly cases (62 – 154) than non-essential travellers (84 – 398 per week) given their lower travel volume. Pre-departure testing was estimated to reduce imported cases by one third (counterfactual scenario 1) to one half (counterfactual scenario 2).

Conclusions

The model results highlighted the weekly variation in importation by traveller group (e.g., reason for travel and country of departure) and enabled a framework for measuring the impact of pre-departure testing requirements. Quantifying the contributors of importation risk through mathematical simulation can support the design of appropriate public health policy on border measures.

Peer Review reports

Government public health organisations are responsible for assessing the risk of importation of infectious diseases (e.g. [ 1 ]). To be effective, such risk assessments can use modelling methods that integrate data on incoming travel volumes from source endemic/epidemic locations through the global travel network, and country-specific epidemiological and vaccine coverage data [ 2 , 3 ]. In addition to assessing the spatio-temporal risk of importation, models can also be used to quantify the effectiveness of specific prevention strategies prior to their implementation, or post-hoc as a means of on-going evaluation and support for preparedness [ 4 ]. This can be accomplished by comparing estimated importation rates with measures in place against scenarios in which border measures are removed.

SARS‑CoV‑2, the causative agent of COVID-19, spread rapidly across the world resulting in nearly 300 million reported cases and 5.5 million reported deaths by the end of 2021 [ 5 ]. From March 2020 to September 2022, the Canadian government implemented border measures to slow the importation of COVID-19 cases arising from international air travel [ 6 ] (Fig.  1 ). These measures included restrictions on foreign nationals entering Canada [ 6 ], flight suspensions from selected countries [ 7 ], vaccination requirements to enter Canada [ 8 ], pre-departure molecular testing for SARS-CoV-2 within 72 h of departure [ 9 ], quarantine and further testing upon entry into Canada [ 10 , 11 ], and post-entry testing. Some travellers were exempt from some or all of the border measures depending on their reason for travel (e.g. providing an essential service) [ 12 ].

Summary of Canadian border measures implemented and eased in 2020–2021 [ 6 , 13 , 14 , 15 ]. NE = Non-essential

During the COVID-19 pandemic, importation models were used to estimate the number of imported cases from domestic and international travel, and assess the impact of border measures [ 16 , 17 , 18 , 19 ]. In Canada, mathematical models were developed within the first few months of the pandemic to assess the impact of importation on local COVID-19 transmission in specific provinces (e.g. Québec and Ontario [ 19 ], and Newfoundland and Labrador [ 20 ]). At the national-level, an importation modelling method was implemented by the Public Health Agency of Canada’s (PHAC) modelling team to assess possible rates of importation of cases throughout the pandemic, with and without border measures. This study aimed to describe the mathematical model developed by PHAC and estimate the weekly importation risk from air travellers into Canadian airports from July to November 2021 as measured by the number of travellers infected with SARS-CoV-2 (i.e. imported cases) and percent positivity, PP (i.e. imported cases normalised by total travel volume). In addition, the impact of pre-departure testing of non-essential travellers to reduce importation risk was assessed by comparing estimated imported cases against counterfactual scenarios.

The model operates at a daily time step to estimate the weekly number of air travellers arriving infected with SARS-CoV-2 at the airport-level from July to November 2021. The model was adapted from a mathematical model previously used to estimate importation risk of dengue and COVID-19 [ 2 , 18 ]. The key model adaptations adjusted for underreporting in COVID-19 case counts, accounted for the impacts of vaccination and pre-departure testing for SARS-CoV-2 to reduce importation risk, and stratified importation risk by SARS-CoV-2 variants of concern (VOC) and variants of interest (VOI).

Air travel volume data

Model input for air travel volumes was derived from two data sources. Daily travel volumes from each country of departure (i.e. the country from which travel to Canada was initiated) to Canada were derived using Canada Border Services Agency’s (CBSA) Advanced Passenger Information in combination with the overall passage data from CBSA (Additional File 1 ). Monthly travel volumes for each itinerary from the origin airport to the final Canadian destination airport were obtained from the International Air Transport Authority (IATA) [ 21 ]. Finally, the CBSA travel volumes were distributed in proportion to the IATA travel volumes to derive model input at the daily and airport levels.

Traveller groups

In the model, travellers were stratified as essential or non-essential based on their reason for travel. Non-essential travellers, which included those who travelled for personal reasons (e.g. tourism, education), were assumed to have a negative pre-departure molecular test result three days prior to their scheduled departure [ 11 ], while essential travellers were exempt from that requirement. Between November 2020 and October 2022, non-essential travellers were required to submit COVID-19 related information [ 22 , 23 ] via the Government of Canada’s (GoC) digital ArriveCan platform at each entry into Canada. This data source, in combination with the CBSA ContactTrace program, were used to derive the weekly country-specific proportions of non-essential travellers in the model ([ 24 ]; Additional file 1 ).

Travellers were also characterized as being Canadian or foreign residents to distinguish their place of residence as being in Canada or another country, respectively. In the model, Canadian residents were assumed to have spent all their time in Canada, except for the period in which they travelled to a non-Canadian country where they could become infected with COVID-19 and then import the infection into Canada. This time spent outside of Canada was assumed to follow a normal distribution with a mean of 15 days and a standard deviation of 2 days according to recent estimates [ 25 ]. Foreign residents were assumed to reside and spend their time only in the country of departure before travel to Canada. This was the country in which they could be infected with SARS-CoV-2 prior to entering Canada. Model input for the country-specific weekly proportions of Canadian and foreign residents were derived from CBSA’s Advanced Passenger Information data (for essential travellers) and ArriveCan and ContactTrace data (for non-essential travellers, Additional file 1 ).

Finally, travellers were stratified by vaccination status to account for any vaccine-induced immunity. For non-essential travellers, the weekly country-specific distributions of vaccine statuses were derived from the ArriveCan and ContactTrace data and could be one of: unvaccinated, partially vaccinated with a GoC approved vaccine, partially vaccinated with a non-GoC approved vaccine, fully vaccinated with GoC approved vaccines, fully vaccinated with non-GoC approved vaccines or fully vaccinated with a mixture of GoC approved and non-GoC approved vaccines. Hereafter, partially vaccinated refers to vaccination with one dose of a two dose vaccine regime while fully vaccinated refers to one dose of a one dose vaccine regime or two doses of a two dose vaccine regime. The vaccination status of essential travellers was not available from the ArriveCan data because these travellers were not required to provide proof of vaccination during the study period. Model input for the daily distributions of vaccination statuses in essential travellers were assumed to follow the vaccine coverage for the country of departure (foreign resident travellers) or for Canada (Canadian resident travellers) as reported by Our World in Data (OWD; [ 5 ]). Vaccination status for essential travellers in the model included only unvaccinated, partially vaccinated or fully vaccinated because OWD did not provide information on vaccine type for us to distinguish between GoC approved or otherwise.

Correcting for underreporting of COVID-19 cases

Reported COVID-19 case data were likely underestimated due to asymptomatic transmission, incomplete testing and imperfect test sensitivity and reporting systems [ 26 ]. We derived country-specific correction factors to inflate case data and better reflect the true prevalence (Additional File 1 ). A semi-Bayesian probabilistic bias approach was used to estimate the number of true cases at the country level, using reported case data and testing rates [ 27 ]. We adapted the method to also account for the evolving population-level immunity due to previous COVID-19 infections and increasing vaccination rates. True case counts were estimated from March to August 2020 and then monthly thereafter to reduce instability in estimates caused by sparse case data at the onset of the pandemic and low testing rates [ 27 ]. The estimated true case count was divided by the reported case count [ 5 , 28 , 29 ] in order to obtain country-specific correction factors for each time period from March 2020 onwards. Finally, a regression modelling approach was implemented using the country-level Gross National Income (GNI) as a predictor [ 30 ] and the calculated correction factor as the dependent variable. This regression model was used to impute the missing correction factors for countries that did not have case, testing, or vaccination data. The GNI was used as a proxy for the effectiveness of the country surveillance system to detect, test and report COVID-19 cases [ 30 ].

Model formulation

The probability of a traveller arriving in Canada infected with SARS-CoV-2 accounts for the vaccination status of the traveller and potential immunity acquired from a previous infection in their country of residence ( cr ). For simplicity, it was assumed that infection- and vaccine-induced immunity did not wane from the beginning of the pandemic until the end of the study period, and prior infections provided complete immunity against re-infection. The probability of a traveller having infection-acquired immunity on any given day d and in country of residence cr \(({Pinf}_{cr,d})\) was calculated as the cumulating proportion of residents reported to have had COVID-19 given the 2020 country population size [ 5 , 31 , 32 ]. For an essential traveller, the probability of vaccine-acquired protection \((Pvac{c\_E}_{cr,d})\) on any given day d and in country of residence cr , was equal to:

where \({VE}_{cr,status}\) , vaccine effectiveness, is the probability that a traveller had complete immunity against infection which varied according to COVID-19 vaccination status (partially or fully vaccinated) and the cr for the assumed type of vaccine (mRNA vaccines or others) (Additional file 1 : Table A2); and \(Pro{p}_{cr,d, status}\) represents the proportion of the population in country \(cr\) for each vaccination status on day d . Since vaccination status information was available for non-essential travellers, their probability of vaccine-acquired protection \((Pvac{c\_NE}_{cr,status})\) was equal to the associated vaccine effectiveness \({VE}_{cr,status}\) .

The probability of a traveller arriving in Canada infected with SARS-CoV-2 depended on their risk of exposure in the country of departure, cd , prior to departure for Canada. The daily probability of infection \(({\beta }_{cd,d})\) for a susceptible person on a given day d in country cd was calculated as the number of new cases (corrected for underreporting) out of the total susceptible population (i.e. the proportion of the population that was not immune to infection with COVID-19 due to prior infection or vaccination). Based on this daily probability of infection, the probability of a traveller arriving in Canada infected with SARS-CoV-2 was calculated according to the traveller’s reason for travel (i.e. essential or non-essential). For an essential traveller, the probability of importation, ( \({P\_E}_{s,cd,cr};\) Eq.  2 and Additional file 1 ), on travel day s was based on the traveller’s probability of acquiring infection on any of the n days prior to departure to Canada, given that they did not have infection-acquired protection \(\left(1-{Pinf}_{cr,d}\right)\) or vaccine-acquired protection \(\left(1-{Pvacc\_E}_{cr,d}\right)\) . Here n represents the sum of the latent and infectious periods for SARS-CoV-2 infections (Table  1 ). The probability of importation for a non-essential traveller, ( \({P\_NE}_{s,cd,cr, status}\) ; Eq.  3 and Additional file 1 ), was based on the traveller’s probability of acquiring infection on any of the ( n - \(\mu\) ) days prior to the test day and receiving a false negative test result on test day, or not being infected on test day and acquiring infection after completing the test prior to departure. Here \(\mu\) represents the number of days between the test and travel days (i.e. set at three days in the model). An estimated molecular test sensitivity ( se ) of 60% was implemented, which represented the mean value when accounting for the variation in sensitivity with respect to time since infection ([ 33 , 34 ]; Additional file 1 ). Similar to essential travellers, the probability of importation for non-essential travellers is conditional on not having infection-acquired protection \(\left(1-{Pinf}_{cr,d}\right)\) or vaccine-acquired protection \(\left(1-{Pvacc\_NE}_{cr,status}\right)\) .

where \({t}_{c}\) is the number of days spent in the country of departure \(cd\) prior to leaving for Canada. For foreign residents, it was assumed that \({{\text{t}}}_{{\text{c}}}>{\text{n}}\) .

Finally, the total number of importations ( \({I}_{w}\) ) for every epi-week, w , was calculated using the probability of air travellers arriving infected ( \({P}_{k,\upgamma ,s}\) ) for each airport-level origin–destination travel route ( k ), each travel group (γ, i.e. Canadian or foreign resident, vaccination status, essential or non-essential traveller) and each day of the week ( \(s\) ), and the corresponding travel volume ( \({v}_{k,\upgamma ,s}\) ):

Importation estimates were stratified by VOCs and VOIs listed by the USA Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. It was assumed that the proportion of variants reported in the GISAID database [ 39 ] for each country during a three-week period (including the week modelled and the two prior weeks) was the same proportion that would be observed in infected travellers arriving in Canada from these countries.

Modelling importation risk and counterfactual scenarios

We used the model to estimate importation risk from July 11 to November 27, 2021 under the assumption that all non-essential travellers were required to have a negative molecular pre-departure test result three days prior to departure for Canada. As well as being our most probable estimate of the true importation risk given the testing requirements that were in effect during the modelled time period, these model estimates formed our baseline to compare with two counterfactual scenarios. Model output is presented by country of departure, SARS-CoV-2 variant and traveller groups. In addition, the number of infected travellers arriving at each of Canada’s four largest airports (Toronto Pearson, Montréal-Trudeau, Vancouver International, and Calgary International) as their final destination are presented. Finally, we mapped country-level model outputs in terms of the cumulative number of importations, percent positivity, and travel volumes for the total study period using ArcGIS Pro version 2.9.0 (ESRI, Redlands, CA).

Two counterfactual scenarios were simulated from July 11 to November 27, 2021 to measure the impact of pre-departure testing on non-essential travellers to reduce importation risk as compared to the baseline. For counterfactual scenario 1, fully vaccinated (with or without GoC approved vaccines) non-essential travellers were not tested, and for counterfactual scenario 2 there was no testing of any non-essential travellers. For both counterfactual scenarios, the model was run for all non-essential travellers, whereas outputs from the baseline scenario were used for essential travellers. The weekly percent change in the total number of imported cases for each counterfactual scenario was compared to the baseline scenario.

Model stochasticity was implemented through the distributions of parameter input values for vaccine effectiveness, latent and infectious periods, and for Canadian travellers, travel duration. For each of these parameters, a value was randomly chosen from a pre-defined distribution (Table  1 ) for every category of traveller, with these categories consisting of unique combinations of origin–destination airport pathway, essential status and day. The baseline and counterfactual scenarios were simulated 50 times. We only present the mean results because the confidence intervals were too narrow to visualise in the plots. All model simulations and analyses were conducted in R version 4.1.0 [ 40 ].

The importation model estimated that a total of 7,863 infected travellers entered Canada by air from July 11 to November 27, 2021. Most cases originated from the USA (2,890 cases), the country with the highest incoming travel volume to Canada (1.46 million travellers) and a PP of 0.198% (Fig.  2 a, b). Other countries with a high risk of importation were Mexico (1,034 cases; 0.414% PP; 249,462 travellers), the United Kingdom (429 cases; 0.277% PP; 154,715 travellers), and France (335 cases, 0.145% PP; 230,295 travellers) (Fig.  2 ). The relative ranking of contributing countries evolved over time, and differed between destination airports (Figs. 2 and 3 , and Fig. A2 in Additional file 1 ).

Maps illustrating results at the country of departure level from July 11, 2021 to November 27, 2021 for A estimated travel volume to Canada, and model estimates for B COVID-19 percent positivity of travellers entering Canada, and C number of imported COVID-19 cases to Canada. The destination country, Canada, is shown in white. Countries in grey either have unavailable travel volume data and/or reported case counts

Model output for the mean number of SARS-CoV-2 infected air travellers by variant and country of departure arriving at their final destination in one of the four largest Canadian airports, as estimated from July 11 to November 27, 2021

The composition of SARS-CoV-2 variants also varied between airports and through time. Throughout the study period the Delta variant was modelled to be the predominant infectious agent in travellers arriving at the Canadian destination airports. There were also estimated contributions from the Gamma, Mu, and Alpha variants, especially prior to August (Fig.  3 ; Fig. A2 in Additional file 1 ).

Output from the importation model suggests that the number of imported cases and PP also varied over time. There was a peak in August, followed by a decrease until the end of October, and a subsequent increase in November (Fig.  4 ). In the baseline scenario, the mean weekly number of imported cases ranged from 145 to 539 cases and PP ranged from 0.15 to 0.28%. Most cases were imported by non-essential travellers (range: 84–398 per week), who comprised the largest proportion of travel volume (range: 79–90% per week) and populations with full vaccination status (range: 67–92% per week). In contrast, essential travellers had fewer imported cases (range: 62–154 per week), with a smaller travel volume (range: 10–21% per week) and populations of full vaccination status (range: 29–76% per week). Despite having lower importation numbers, the PP in essential travellers was consistently higher (range: 0.37–0.65% per week) than non-essential travellers (range: 0.12–0.24% per week).

Weekly model inputs for the study period (July to November 2021) for A estimated travel volumes into Canada for essential and non-essential travellers, B proportions of fully vaccinated travellers estimated for essential travellers given global vaccine coverage [ 5 ] and reported for non-essential travellers [ 23 ], and model output for C percent positivity and D number of imported COVID-19 cases into Canada as stratified into essential and non-essential travellers and combined (overall) for the baseline scenario (pre-departure testing of all non-essential travellers), counterfactual scenario 1 (no pre-departure testing of fully vaccinated non-essential travellers) and counterfactual scenario 2 (no pre-departure testing of any non-essential travellers). In C ) and D ), the essential traveller curve is identical for all three scenarios since the model for essential travellers was not repeated for the counterfactual scenarios

The counterfactual analysis suggested that pre-departure testing in non-essential travellers reduced importation risk. Compared to the baseline scenario, the risk of importation in non-essential travellers was greater in the counterfactual scenarios, with up to 775 weekly importations (PP ≤ 0.38%) when fully vaccinated travellers were exempt from pre-departure testing (counterfactual scenario 1), and up to 961 weekly imported cases (PP ≤ 0.47%) when all non-essential travellers were exempt from testing (counterfactual 2; Fig.  4 ). Pre-departure testing in the baseline scenario averted 30% of cases occurring over the study period compared to counterfactual scenario 1, with 12 to 36% of cases prevented weekly (Fig.  5 ). Even more cases (43%) were prevented when comparing the baseline scenario to counterfactual scenario 2, with 36 to 45% of cases prevented weekly (Fig.  5 ). The percentage of cases averted in counterfactual scenario 1 increased with time, especially between July and September. For counterfactual scenario 2 the temporal trends on the impact of testing were less pronounced (Fig.  5 ).

Weekly percentage of infected travellers averted from arriving at Canadian airports from July to November 2021 when comparing the baseline scenario (pre-departure testing of all non-essential travellers) to counterfactual scenario 1 (no pre-departure testing of fully vaccinated non-essential travellers) and to counterfactual scenario 2 (no pre-departure testing of any non-essential travellers)

A mathematical model estimating the importation risk of COVID-19 into Canada by combining detailed travel volume data with the evolving global epidemiological landscape and country-specific levels of vaccine- and infection-acquired immunity is presented in this study. The study results suggest that the risk, as measured through the number of travellers arriving infected with SARS-CoV-2 and PP, varied over time by country and Canadian destination airports. Considering the entire study period, the highest overall number of imported COVID-19 cases were estimated to originate from the USA, Mexico, UK, and France. Findings from this study highlight the differential impact of essential and non-essential travellers on COVID-19 importations between July and November 2021. Notably, results from the counterfactual modelling analyses support the effectiveness of pre-departure molecular testing in all non-essential travellers to reduce the number of imported COVID-19 cases.

Flexibility in the model structure and detailed importation risk profiles allow for more nuanced assessments supporting evidence-based policy decision making. By including COVID-19 variant data and detailed travel volumes at the airport level, the model provides a comprehensive characterisation of importation risk by country of departure, variant and point of entry throughout Canada. Furthermore, estimates of importation risk at the airport level allows an evidence-based assessment of the risk and the potential impact on transmission dynamics in the region where the airport is located. In the case of an emergent VOC, the model outputs could be valuable to help target surveillance and on-arrival response efforts towards locations where passengers at higher risk are landing.

Our modelling approach enabled a comprehensive understanding of importation risk through two measures. The PP represents the mean individual-level probability of importation for a given traveller group or country. The number of imported cases provides insight on the level of risk that the traveller group or country poses to Canada by considering the relative importance of both PP and travel volume. The distinction in measures helps interpret the potential roles of different traveller groups or countries on importation risk. For example, model results suggest that essential travellers had a substantially higher PP than non-essential travellers during the study period. This difference can largely be attributed to pre-departure testing requirements for non-essential travellers as supported by results from the counterfactual analyses. However, despite higher PP in essential travellers than non-essential travellers, the overall number of imported cases from essential travellers was low because there were far fewer essential travellers. Another example from the country-level perspective has the opposite conclusion. Model output indicated that travellers from the USA contributed the highest number of imported cases because travel volumes from the USA were higher than any other country, despite the PP of travellers from the USA being lower compared to other countries (e.g. Mexico, Brazil). We found using both measures together is more revealing of importation risk than relying on one alone.

As in [ 41 ], which demonstrates the effectiveness of the pre-departure testing program, our model suggests that there would have been nearly twice as many importations estimated to occur in the absence of a pre-departure testing requirement (counterfactual scenario 2). It is important to note that model results are expected to be conservative in terms of the impact of pre-departure testing, given that the mean test sensitivity chosen in our model (i.e. 60%) fell on the lower range of plausible values. The temporal increase in the surplus cases that would have occurred had non-essential fully vaccinated travellers not undergone pre-departure testing (counterfactual scenario 1) can be attributed in part to a growing proportion of non-essential travellers becoming fully vaccinated through time. With vaccination, a larger number of travellers were exempt from the pre-departure testing requirement in counterfactual scenario 1, resulting in increased importations compared to the baseline scenario. The observed temporal increase in fully vaccinated travellers could be explained by the following factors: 1) increased second dose uptake within the Canadian population [ 42 ], 2) permitting fully vaccinated non-essential citizens and permanent residents of the US with a GoC approved vaccine to enter Canada for discretionary travel, with exceptions, effective August 9, 2021, and 3) extending factor #2 on September 7, 2021 to all other countries [ 8 , 14 ]. Consequently, toward the end of the study period, the difference in the impact of removing pre-departure testing in fully vaccinated non-essential travellers as opposed to all non-essential travellers was relatively small. While this analysis highlights the impact of the pre-departure testing program, it also demonstrates the versatility of the model in assessing and comparing the relative influence of different prevention strategies.

Although evaluating the impact of international COVID-19 importations on the local spread in Canada is beyond the scope of this paper, it has been explored previously in different contexts. Results from modelling studies suggest that case importation may have played an important role in local dynamics during the early phase of the COVID-19 pandemic and for emergent variants [ 19 , 20 , 43 ] or in countries with low prevalence and limited public health measures in place to restrict domestic spread [ 44 ]. However, international travel restrictions appear to be less effective once the disease is widespread and outbreaks are self-sustaining in the destination country [ 43 , 45 , 46 ]. In that specific context, imported cases would have a relatively small contribution to local transmission dynamics. As such, the impact of international travel restrictions relies on complex and dynamic factors, and requires evaluation and adaptation to the evolving local and global epidemiological situation, while also taking into account their economic and social costs. Previous work evaluating the potential impact of the border re-opening on disease spread within Canada [ 47 ] has been performed using an agent-based model [ 48 , 49 , 50 , 51 ]. However, further analyses would be needed to fully assess the impact of the pre-departure testing requirements on local transmission dynamics among the Canadian population.

Despite the strengths of our modelling approach there are important limitations to consider. First, for the study presented, we did not have access to border testing data for validating model results. Furthermore, as with any highly data driven model, error in input data will decrease accuracy of model output. For instance, the combination of multiple datasets to obtain air travel volume could have led to biased model inputs by traveller group. However, these data sources had the advantage of accounting for Notices to Airmen (NOTAMs) on flight suspensions from specific countries during the study period. Furthermore, the model relies on robust global surveillance data. Poor data quality and quantity can result in biased outcomes, especially in countries with limited testing capacities and unreliable reporting systems. A strength of the current model is the incorporation of a modified semi-Bayesian probabilistic bias approach, implemented to correct the number of reported cases by adjusting for under-ascertainment [ 27 ]. Although the country-specific case count estimates from this methodology align well with other published estimates (Fig. A1 in Additional file 1 ), a minimal amount of data is still required to produce reliable results.

Other limitations arise from the model assumptions. First, by assuming that there was complete protection against reinfection and no-waning in post-infection- and vaccine-induced immunity, model output could underestimate importation risk. Secondly, it was assumed that Canadian travellers only visit one country (the country of departure) and for a limited period prior to departure for Canada and that foreign travellers remain in their respective country of departure without travelling to other countries throughout the pandemic. We justify these assumptions because travel was greatly reduced during the pandemic [ 52 , 53 ]. Also, we erred on a simplified model structure in the absence of having complete data on travel history prior to departure for Canada. These assumptions likely reduced the accuracy in estimating travellers’ probabilities for vaccine- (for foreign essential travellers) and infection-acquired protection (for all travellers) and probabilities of exposure in the country of departure prior to travel. It is however difficult to know if the resulting error over- or underestimated importation risk. Finally, the model assumed that the traveller population was represented by the underlying country population in terms of the vaccination coverage (for essential travellers only), age demographics and socio-economic landscape, which could potentially lead to bias in terms of estimated exposure risk. For instance, travellers departing from countries with large wealth and income inequalities may have higher quality housing (i.e. less overcrowding) and better access to vaccination, and hence lower SARS-CoV-2 exposure compared to the general population from which model estimates for infection probabilities were calculated [ 54 ].

Our mathematical model provided a detailed COVID-19 importation risk profile for air travellers arriving at Canadian airports from international departures. Model outputs indicated travel groups and countries contributing high importation risk as measured by the number of imported cases and PP. Essential travellers were estimated to contribute fewer importations than non-essential travellers. Furthermore, model results suggest that pre-departure molecular testing in non-essential travellers likely led to lower numbers of imported cases and PP than when compared to counterfactual scenarios that were more lenient. The model we present here was applied to a Canadian COVID-19 context, including an assessment of pre-departure testing, but could be adapted to other similar infectious diseases and border measures, such as vaccination mandates on specific traveller groups and flight suspensions from high-risk countries. As the rate of emerging infectious diseases continues to increase with global environmental change [ 55 ], versatile tools such as this importation risk model can help support evidence-based border policy development.

Availability of data and materials

The data that support the findings of this study are available from CBSA, IATA, and GISAID but restrictions apply to the availability of these data, which were used under license for the current study, and so are not publicly available. Data are however available from the authors upon reasonable request and with permission of CBSA, IATA, and GISAID.

Abbreviations

Canada Border Services Agency

International Air Transport Authority

Government of Canada

Gross National Income

Our World in Data

Percent Positivity

Variants of concern

Variants of interest

Notice to Airmen

Dudouet P, Gautret P, Larsen CS, Díaz-Menéndez M, Trigo E, von Sonnenburg F, et al. Chikungunya resurgence in the Maldives and risk for importation via tourists to Europe in 2019–2020: A GeoSentinel case series. Travel Med Infect Dis. 2020;36:101814.

Article   PubMed   PubMed Central   Google Scholar  

Liebig J, Jansen C, Paini D, Gardner L, Jurdak R. A global model for predicting the arrival of imported dengue infections. PLoS One. 2019;14(12):e0225193.

Article   CAS   PubMed   PubMed Central   Google Scholar  

Yuan B, Nishiura H. Estimating the actual importation risk of dengue virus infection among Japanese travelers. PLoS One. 2018;13(6):e0198734.

Sharun K, Tiwari R, Natesan S, Yatoo MI, Malik YS, Dhama K. International travel during the COVID-19 pandemic: implications and risks associated with “travel bubbles.” J Travel Med. 2020;27(8):taaa184.

Article   PubMed   Google Scholar  

Ritchie H, Mathieu E, Rodés-Guirao L, Appel C, Giattino C, Ortiz-Ospina E, et al. Coronavirus pandemic (COVID-19). Our World in Data. 2020.

Google Scholar  

Government of Canada. Timeline - CBSA border measures 2021. Updated April 23, 2021. Available from: https://www.publicsafety.gc.ca/cnt/trnsprnc/brfng-mtrls/prlmntry-bndrs/20210907/05-en.aspx . Accessed 11–02–2022.

Transport Canada. Trasportation in Canada 2021; comprehensive report. 2021.

Government of Canada. Travel Advisory: Reminder – On September 7, new measures for fully vaccinated international travellers to Canada will come into force 2021. Available from: https://www.canada.ca/en/border-services-agency/news/2021/09/travel-advisory-reminder--on-september-7-new-measures-for-fully-vaccinated-international-travellers-to-canada-will-come-into-force.html . Accessed 29 July 2022.

Government of Canada. Statement from the Chief Public Health Officer of Canada on January 7, 2021. Ottawa, ON, Canada. 2021. Available from: https://www.canada.ca/en/public-health/news/2021/01/statement-from-the-chief-public-health-officer-of-canada-on-january-7-2021.html . Accessed 16 Jan 2023.

Government of Canada. Travellers’ testing, isolation and quarantine obligations. 2021. Available from: https://www.publicsafety.gc.ca/cnt/trnsprnc/brfng-mtrls/prlmntry-bndrs/20210722/020/index-en.aspx . Accessed 16 Jan 2023.

Government of Canada. COVID-19; Canada border testing program: understanding the data. 2023. Available from: https://health-infobase.canada.ca/covid-19/border-testing-data/technical-notes.html . Accessed 30 Aug 2023.

Government of Canada. Orders in council 2021. Available from: https://orders-in-council.canada.ca/attachment.php?attach=40875&lang=en . Accessed 31 Aug 2023.

Institut national de santé publique du Québec (INSPQ). Ligne du temps COVID-19 au Québec 2022. Available from: https://www.inspq.qc.ca/covid-19/donnees/ligne-du-temps . Accessed: 29 April 2022.

Government of Canada. Travel Advisory: REMINDER – On August 9th, new public health measures will come into force affecting travel to Canada 2021. Available from: https://www.canada.ca/en/border-services-agency/news/2021/08/travel-advisory-reminder--on-august-9th-new-public-health-measures-will-come-into-force-affecting-travel-to-canada.html . Accessed 29 July 2022.

Canadian Institute for Health Information. Canadian COVID-19 intervention timeline. 2022. Available from: https://www.cihi.ca/en/canadian-covid-19-intervention-timeline . Accessed: 11-02-2022.

Han X, Xu Y, Fan L, Huang Y, Xu M, Gao S. Quantifying COVID-19 importation risk in a dynamic network of domestic cities and international countries. Proc Natl Acad Sci USA. 2021;118(31):e2100201118.

Menkir TF, Chin T, Hay JA, Surface ED, De Salazar PM, Buckee CO, et al. Estimating internationally imported cases during the early COVID-19 pandemic. Nat Commun. 2021;12(1):311.

Liebig J, Najeebullah K, Jurdak R, Shoghri AE, Paini D. Should international borders re-open? The impact of travel restrictions on COVID-19 importation risk. BMC Public Health. 2021;21(1):1573.

Godin A, Xia Y, Buckeridge DL, Mishra S, Douwes-Schultz D, Shen Y, et al. The role of case importation in explaining differences in early SARS-CoV-2 transmission dynamics in Canada-A mathematical modeling study of surveillance data. Int J Infect Dis. 2021;102:254–9.

Article   CAS   PubMed   Google Scholar  

Hurford A, Rahman P, Loredo-Osti JC. Modelling the impact of travel restrictions on COVID-19 cases in Newfoundland and Labrador. R Soc Open Sci. 2021;8(6):202266.

International Air Transport Association (IATA). Air Traffic Statstics. 2021. Available from: https://www.iata.org/en/services/statistics/air-transport-stats/ . Cited 2022.

Government of Canada. ArriveCan awareness toolkit 2020. Available from: http://www.amb-canada.fr/pdf/ArriveCan_EN.pdf . Accessed: 11–02–2022.

Government of Canada. ArriveCAN. Version 2.21 2021. Available from: Use ArriveCAN for a faster border experience - Canada.ca.

Canada Border Services Agency. Contact Trace. Version 3.9.2. 2021.

Messenger JC, Lee S, McCann D. Working time around the world: Trends in working hours, laws, and policies in a global comparative perspective. Abingdon: Routledge; 2007.

Dougherty BP, Smith BA, Carson CA, Ogden NH. Exploring the percentage of COVID-19 cases reported in the community in Canada and associated case fatality ratios. Infect Dis Model. 2021;6:123–32.

PubMed   Google Scholar  

Wu SL, Mertens AN, Crider YS, Nguyen A, Pokpongkiat NN, Djajadi S, et al. Substantial underestimation of SARS-CoV-2 infection in the United States. Nat Commun. 2020;11(1):1–10.

Article   CAS   Google Scholar  

Centers for Disease Control Prevention. COVID-19 Response. COVID-19 case surveillance public data access, summary, and limitations 2021. Available from: https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/cases-updates/cases-in-us.html . Accessed 29 Sept 2021.

Dong E, Du H, Gardner L. An interactive web-based dashboard to track COVID-19 in real time. Lancet Infect Dis. 2020;20(5):533–4.

The World Bank. GNI per capita, Atlas method (2019) 2019. Available from: https://data.worldbank.org/indicator/NY.GNP.PCAP.CD . Accessed: 13 Sept 2023.

United States Census Bureau. Table 2. Resident population for the 50 states, the Distric of Columbia, and Puerto Rico: 2020 CENSUS. Available from: https://www.census.gov/data/tables/2020/dec/2020-apportionment-data.html . Accessed 02-01-2023.

The World Bank. Population, total - Tuvalu. Available from: https://data.worldbank.org/indicator/SP.POP.TOTL?locations=TV . Accessed 29 Sept 2021.

Johansson MA, Wolford H, Paul P, Diaz PS, Chen T-H, Brown CM, et al. Reducing travel-related SARS-CoV-2 transmission with layered mitigation measures: symptom monitoring, quarantine, and testing. BMC Med. 2021;19:1–13.

Article   Google Scholar  

Zhen W, Smith E, Manji R, Schron D, Berry GJ. Clinical evaluation of three sample-to-answer platforms for detection of SARS-CoV-2. J Clin Microbiol. 2020;58(8):e00783-e820.

Cevik M, Bamford C, Ho A. COVID-19 pandemic—a focused review for clinicians. Clin Microbiol Infect. 2020;26(7):842–7.

Weiss A, Jellingsø M, Sommer MOA. Spatial and temporal dynamics of SARS-CoV-2 in COVID-19 patients: A systematic review and meta-analysis. EBioMedicine. 2020;58:102916.

Woodruff A, Walsh KL, Knight D, Irizarry-Alvarado JM. COVID-19 infection: strategies on when to Discontinue isolation, a retrospective study. Am J Infect Control. 2020;48(9):1032–6.

Hellou MM, Górska A, Mazzaferri F, Cremonini E, Gentilotti E, De Nardo P, et al. Nucleic-acid-amplification tests from respiratory samples for the diagnosis of coronavirus infections: systematic review and meta-analysis. Clin Microbiol Infect. 2020;27:341–51.

Shu Y, McCauley J. GISAID: from vision to reality. Eurosurveillance. 2017;22(13):30494. https://doi.org/10.2807/1560-7917.ES.2017.22.13.30494 .

R Core Team. R: A language and environment for statistical computing. Vienna: R Foundation for Statistical Computing; 2020.

Kiang MV, Chin ET, Huynh BQ, Chapman LA, Rodríguez-Barraquer I, Greenhouse B, et al. Routine asymptomatic testing strategies for airline travel during the COVID-19 pandemic: a simulation study. Lancet Infect Dis. 2021;21(7):929–38.

Noah L. COVID-19 tracker canada 2020. Available from: COVID19Tracker.ca. Accessed 10–04–2022.

Arino J, Boëlle P-Y, Milliken E, Portet S. Risk of COVID-19 variant importation–how useful are travel control measures? Infect Dis Model. 2021;6:875–97.

PubMed   PubMed Central   Google Scholar  

Hanly MJ, Churches T, Fitzgerald O, Post JJ, MacIntyre CR, Jorm L. The impact of re-opening the international border on COVID-19 hospitalisations in Australia: a modelling study. Med J Aust. 2022;216(1):39–42.

Russell TW, Wu JT, Clifford S, Edmunds WJ, Kucharski AJ, Jit M. Effect of internationally imported cases on internal spread of COVID-19: a mathematical modelling study. Lancet Public Health. 2021;6(1):e12–20.

Shiraef MA, Friesen P, Feddern L, Weiss MA. Did border closures slow SARS-CoV-2? Sci Rep. 2022;12:1709.

Public Health Agency of Canada. COVID-19: PHAC modelling group report. 2021.

Ogden NH, Turgeon P, Fazil A, Clark J, Gabriele-Rivet V, Tam T, et al. Counterfactuals of effects of vaccination and public health measures on COVID-19 cases in Canada: What could have happened? Can Commun Dis Rep. 2022;48(7/8):292–302.

Gabriele-Rivet V, Spence KL, Ogden NH, Fazil A, Turgeon P, Otten A, et al. Modelling the impact of age-stratified public health measures on SARS-CoV-2 transmission in Canada. R Soc Open Sci. 2021;8(11):210834.

Ng V, Fazil A, Waddell LA, Turgeon P, Otten A, Ogden NH. Modelling the impact of shutdowns on resurging SARS-CoV-2 transmission in Canada. R Soc Open Sci. 2021;8(5):210233.

Ng V, Fazil A, Waddell LA, Bancej C, Turgeon P, Otten A, et al. Projected effects of nonpharmaceutical public health interventions to prevent resurgence of SARS-CoV-2 transmission in Canada. CMAJ. 2020;192(37):E1053–64.

Sun X, Wandelt S, Zhang A. How did COVID-19 impact air transportation? A first peek through the lens of complex networks. J Air Transp Manag. 2020;89:101928.

Goulias KG. Special issue on understanding the relationships between COVID-19 and transportation. Transportation Letters. 2021;13(5–6):327–30.

Patel JA, Nielsen F, Badiani AA, Assi S, Unadkat V, Patel B, et al. Poverty, inequality and COVID-19: the forgotten vulnerable. Public Health. 2020;183:110–1.

Baker RE, Mahmud AS, Miller IF, Rajeev M, Rasambainarivo F, Rice BL, et al. Infectious disease in an era of global change. Nat Rev Microbiol. 2022;20(4):193–205.

Download references

Acknowledgements

We would like to thank Samir Mechai for his help in processing the weekly GISAID data on the COVID-19 variants, Dige Guan for providing aggregated data from ArriveCan and ContactTrace, David Champredon for support in the calculation of a mean test sensitivity estimate and Christopher Bell, Kerry Watkins, Rachel Rodin, Elizabeth Harris, Daniele Curtis, and Shirley Bryan for providing critical review and comments on the manuscript.

Not applicable.

Author information

Rachael M. Milwid and Vanessa Gabriele-Rivet contributed equally to this work and share first authorship.

Authors and Affiliations

Public Health Risk Sciences Division, National Microbiology Laboratory, Public Health Agency of Canada, St-Hyacinthe, QC, Canada

Rachael M. Milwid, Vanessa Gabriele-Rivet, Nicholas H. Ogden, Patricia Turgeon & Erin E. Rees

Public Health Risk Sciences Division, National Microbiology Laboratory, Public Health Agency of Canada, Guelph, Guelph, ON, Canada

Aamir Fazil

Department of Pathology and Microbiology, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Université de Montréal, Saint-Hyacinthe, QC, Canada

Nicholas H. Ogden, Patricia Turgeon & Erin E. Rees

Physique Des Particules, Université de Montréal, Faculté Des Arts Et Des Sciences, Montréal, QC, Canada

David London

Emergency Management Branch, Global Public Health Intelligence Network Tiger Team, Public Health Agency of Canada, Ottawa, ON, Canada

Simon de Montigny

Epidemiology of Zoonoses and Public Health Research Unit, Faculté de médecine vétérinaire, Université de Montréal, Saint-Hyacinthe, QC, Canada

You can also search for this author in PubMed   Google Scholar

Contributions

ER, NO, VG-R, and RMM designed the study. ER, VG-R and RMM contributed to the model development and analysis. DL contributed to the equation formation and SDM provided support with interpretation of the results. VG-R, RMM and ER wrote the manuscript and ER, NO, VG-R, AF, PT, DL and SDM edited the final manuscript. VG-R and RMM contributed equally to this work and share first authorship. ER is the senior author.

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Vanessa Gabriele-Rivet .

Ethics declarations

Ethics approval and consent to participate, consent for publication, competing interests.

The authors declare no competing interests.

Additional information

Publisher’s note.

Springer Nature remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations.

Supplementary Information

Additional file 1..

This file contains a detailed description of the methods, data sources and additional results.

Rights and permissions

Open Access This article is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License, which permits use, sharing, adaptation, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, as long as you give appropriate credit to the original author(s) and the source, provide a link to the Creative Commons licence, and indicate if changes were made. The images or other third party material in this article are included in the article's Creative Commons licence, unless indicated otherwise in a credit line to the material. If material is not included in the article's Creative Commons licence and your intended use is not permitted by statutory regulation or exceeds the permitted use, you will need to obtain permission directly from the copyright holder. To view a copy of this licence, visit http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ . The Creative Commons Public Domain Dedication waiver ( http://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/zero/1.0/ ) applies to the data made available in this article, unless otherwise stated in a credit line to the data.

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article.

Milwid, R.M., Gabriele-Rivet, V., Ogden, N.H. et al. A methodology for estimating SARS-CoV-2 importation risk by air travel into Canada between July and November 2021. BMC Public Health 24 , 1088 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1186/s12889-024-18563-1

Download citation

Received : 16 September 2023

Accepted : 09 April 2024

Published : 19 April 2024

DOI : https://doi.org/10.1186/s12889-024-18563-1

Share this article

Anyone you share the following link with will be able to read this content:

Sorry, a shareable link is not currently available for this article.

Provided by the Springer Nature SharedIt content-sharing initiative

• Importation risk
• Mathematical model
• Pre-departure molecular testing

BMC Public Health

ISSN: 1471-2458

• Submission enquiries: [email protected]
• General enquiries: [email protected]

• Share full article

Advertisement

Supported by

Stabbing of Bishop in Australia During Livestreamed Service Was Act of Terror, Police Say

A 15-year-old boy has been arrested in the attack, in which several people were injured. An official said the episode appeared to have been motivated by religious extremism.

By Victoria Kim and Claire Moses

Victoria Kim reported from Sydney, Australia, and Claire Moses from London.

A stabbing at a church in a suburb of Sydney, Australia, that left several people injured and unfolded during a livestreamed Mass was an act of terrorism, the authorities said on Tuesday.

A 15-year-old boy was arrested after the Monday evening stabbing at Christ the Good Shepherd Church in Wakeley, Australia, which left multiple people injured, including the church’s bishop and priest, who both sustained serious but non-life-threatening injuries, the New South Wales Police said. The attack came just two days after an unrelated deadly stabbing rampage at a crowded mall across town, rattling a city and country where such acts of violence are rare.

Karen Webb, police commissioner for New South Wales, said at a news conference on Tuesday that she had made the terrorism determination based on information that the attacker had gone to the church armed with a knife, showing “a degree of premeditation,” and religious comments he made while carrying out the attack seen on the livestream.

While she did not specify what those comments were, she said, “We believe there were elements satisfied in terms of religious motivated extremism.” By carrying out the attack during the livestream, she said, the attacker had intimidated “not only the parishioners in attendance but those parishioners who were watching online.”

Bishop Mar Mari Emmanuel, who was seriously injured during the attack, is part of an ultraconservative sect of the Assyrian Orthodox church. He is known to livestream his sermons online. During the pandemic, he opposed lockdowns and preached against Covid vaccinations . He has also often condemned L.G.B.T.Q. people.

The bishop and a priest were in surgery Tuesday morning, and are “lucky to be alive,” Ms. Webb said.

The teenager in custody, a 15-year-old boy, was also injured and underwent surgery, police said. He was known to police but had not been on any terrorism watch list, Ms. Webb said.

The attack touched off riots outside the church on Monday night, where a crowd grew from about 50 to several hundred in the hours following the attack, the police said. On social media video of the riots, some people in the crowd appeared to demand the attacker be brought out of the church. Some people turned on the authorities, hurtling bricks and pieces of concrete at police equipment and vehicles and forcing paramedics to shelter inside the church for more than three hours, the authorities said.

Two separate task forces were established to investigate the attack and the violent riot that ensued, Ms. Webb said.

Chris Minns, the premier of New South Wales, urged calm at Tuesday morning’s briefing and warned the public against any retaliatory violence. He said he had convened religious leaders who agreed there needed to be peace.

“Sydney and New South Wales is on edge, and there’s understandable community anxiety at the moment,” he said. “You will be met by the full force of the law if there’s any attempt for tit-for-tat violence in Sydney over the coming days.”

The attack at the church happened just after 7 p.m. on Monday. In all, seven people were transported to hospitals, emergency responders said.

A livestream of the service showed an assailant walking up to Bishop Emmanuel while he was addressing a crowd and stabbing him on his head and neck repeatedly in rapid succession. Cries and screams can be heard from others in the church.

Two officers were injured and police vehicles sustained damage, the police said. One officer was hit by a metal object and had a “twisted knee and a chipped tooth,” they said, while another officer had a broken jaw after being hit with a brick and a piece of fence.

Victoria Kim is a reporter based in Seoul and focuses on breaking news coverage across the world. More about Victoria Kim

Claire Moses is a Times reporter in London, focused on coverage of breaking and trending news. More about Claire Moses

Language selection

• Français fr

Chapter 5: Safer, Healthier Communities

On this page:, 5.1 a clean and safe environment for the next generation, 5.2 vibrant and inclusive communities, 5.3 safer communities, 5.4 infrastructure for growing communities, impacts report.

Find out more about the expected gender and diversity impacts for each measure in Chapter 5: Safer, Healthier Communities

To build a better future for the next generation, the communities we are building today must be places where people feel secure, where they want to put down roots and start a family. Communities where families are safe, where entrepreneurs want to set up shop, and where people want to invest in their future are key to unlocking the future of Canada.

Building safer, healthier communities means being good stewards of the environment, and fighting climate change. From expanding parks to keeping the air, water, and soil clean, the government knows that investing in the environment today allows us to pass on the Canada we know and love, one of beautiful landscapes, clean air, and healthy ecosystems.

The government is taking action to help Canadians, businesses, and communities adapt to the effects of climate change, and make life more affordable on the track to net-zero. We're building a Canada-wide network of charging stations to make it more affordable to switch to zero-emission vehicles, and investing in public transit, rail, and ferries, to keep Canadians and communities connected as they grow.

Thriving communities need to be safe and inclusive. That's why we're investing in inclusivity, in parks, in recreation centres, in local news, and in keeping our streets safe.

Budget 2024 takes action to protect our environment and strengthen our communities, making them safer and healthier places to live, work, and raise a family.

Last year, Canadians faced an unprecedented season of wildfires across the country (Chart 5.1). Climate change is real, and it must be taken seriously. That's why the government has a plan to reach net-zero emissions by 2050, using the most cost-effective means possible, such as carbon pricing.

We must be good stewards of the environment today. The government takes seriously its responsibility to fight climate change and protect the environment and Canadians. This is about making sure that communities have clean air and clean water, today and tomorrow. It's also about doing all we can to prevent climate change from accelerating. And, it's about building an economy that puts us on track to net-zero emissions by 2050, that will be competitive for generations, with plentiful good-paying jobs and investment opportunities.

To make up for past decades of insufficient action, the government has taken significant steps to fight climate change. The government put a price on carbon pollution that puts more money back in the pockets of eight out of ten families living in provinces where the federal fuel charge applies, through the Canada Carbon Rebate, while making sure big polluters pay.

Carbon pricing is working. According to Environment and Climate Change Canada, carbon pricing alone will account for about one-third of all projected emissions reductions by 2030, while recent third-party modelling of eight major federal policies by the Canadian Climate Institute suggests that carbon pricing could account for as much as 62 per cent of projected emissions reductions post-2025.

Because of policies implemented since 2015, Canada is expected to—for the first time in history—exceed its interim climate target in 2026 of a 20 per cent reduction in emissions relative to 2005 levels.

The government has also made great progress to protect and conserve nature and is continuing its work to protect 25 per cent of land and water by 2025, and 30 per cent by 2030. And, as detailed in Chapter 4, it is growing the economy to create good-paying jobs across the country—for workers today and for workers tomorrow.

Since 2015, the federal government has committed over $160 billion to build Canada's clean economy and reduce emissions, and has invested significant additional resources to protect the environment and conserve nature. Building on these actions, Budget 2024 announces new measures to ensure a safer, healthier, and more prosperous future.

Key Ongoing Actions

• Providing more than $3.6 billion to protect nature and species at risk, and more than $1 billion to protect marine and coastal areas.
• Keeping people and communities safe from the impacts of climate change, with more than $1.6 billion to support Canada's National Adaptation Strategy.
• Committing $800 million to support Indigenous-led conservation within Canada, showcasing to the world at COP15—which Canada hosted—best practices for implementing traditional Indigenous knowledge to protect the environment.
• Banning the manufacturing of harmful single-use plastics, and working with provinces and territories towards a goal of zero plastic waste by 2030.
• Introducing the new Electric Vehicle Availability Standard, which will improve the availability of new electric vehicles across the country.
• Providing more than $2.1 billion to make zero-emission vehicles more affordable, and more than $1 billion to build more charging stations across Canada.
• Ending cosmetic testing on animals and prohibiting the sale of cosmetics that rely on animal testing data to establish safety.
• Developing and releasing an implementation plan to phase out public financing of the fossil fuel sector, including by federal Crown corporations, by fall 2024.
• Putting a price on carbon pollution, to make big polluters pay while ensuring eight out of ten families in provinces where the federal fuel charge applies get more money back through the Canada Carbon Rebate than they pay, with lower-income households benefitting most.

Cutting Pollution with the Canada Carbon Rebate

A price on pollution is the most cost-effective way to drive down carbon emissions. Canada's pricing system includes a federal backstop system for provinces and territories that don't put their own system in place. It's a system designed to be fair and affordable. Eight out of ten families get more back than they pay in provinces where the federal backstop applies. Importantly, lower- and middle-income families benefit the most—and this has been verified by independent experts. The price on pollution is revenue neutral; no direct proceeds go into general government revenue. Money is returned directly to Canadians, small- and medium-sized businesses, and Indigenous governments, while big industrial polluters pay their fair share.

As Canadians living in small and rural communities often have longer distances to travel, limited access to alternative transportation options, and other increased energy needs, we've always made sure they get a top-up that is fair. The government is proposing, through legislative amendments in Bill C-59, to make the rural top-up even more generous, by doubling it from 10 per cent to 20 per cent, starting this year.

The government is also working to expand rural top-up eligibility to more Canadians who need this support and will announce a proposal on better defining rural areas later this year.

As announced in Chapter 4, the government proposes to directly return proceeds to approximately 600,000 small- and medium-sized businesses in provinces where the federal pollution pricing fuel charge applies. Recognizing the essential role farmers play for our food security, the government also returns fuel charge proceeds from on-farm natural gas and propane back to farmers through a refundable tax credit. Additionally, in recognition of the impacts of climate change on Indigenous communities, the government has doubled the share of pollution pricing returns to Indigenous governments from 1 per cent to 2 per cent.

The Canadian Climate Institute estimates that the health costs of climate change could be $87 billion per year by mid-century, before reaching $246 billion annually by the end of this century. Over a period of ten years, the Canadian Climate Institute projects that ozone exposure could be associated with over 270,000 hospitalizations and premature deaths. Reducing emissions to fight climate change is imperative to protecting the health and well-being of Canadians today and for generations ahead.

In their report, Damage Control: Reducing the costs of climate impacts in Canada , the Canadian Climate Institute modelled the long-term physical impacts of climate change to infrastructure, populations, and economic activity across Canada, using as a basis for comparison two scenarios of future global greenhouse gas emissions by the end of the century:

• a low emissions scenario resulting in an estimated 2.5 degrees Celsius of global warming above pre-industrial levels (4 degrees of warming in Canada); and
• a high emissions scenario resulting in an estimated 4 degrees Celsius of global warming above pre-industrial levels (7.5 degrees of warming in Canada).

The report estimatesthatby mid-century, Canada could experience annual losses to real GDP of between $78 billion and $101 billion under low and high emissions scenarios respectively, and $391 billion and $865 billion respectively by end of century, relative to projections that assume no further negative impacts from climate change going forward.

The Canadian Climate Institute also presented estimates of the economic impact of these two scenarios across household income quintiles, finding that lower-income Canadian households are disproportionately impacted (Figure 5.2). As detailed in Chapter 4, the government is investing to accelerate the net-zero transition, to ensure our economy grows to overcome the costs of climate change by creating good-paying jobs.

Extreme Weather Early Warning System

Climate change is causing more frequent, extreme weather and natural disasters, particularly floods and storms, wreaking havoc on communities across the country. According to the Insurance Bureau of Canada, over the past 40 years, the costs of weather-related damage have risen from hundreds of millions of dollars to billions of dollars annually—from 2011 to 2020, insured losses were $2.3 billion per year on average, more than five times the average annual losses of $440 million between 1983 and 2000.

Since 1876, the Meteorological Service of Canada has provided early weather warnings that have been vital for helping keep Canadians safe. As extreme weather increases in frequency and intensity due to climate change, it is critical that the early warning system continues to accurately forecast and notify Canadians of natural disasters, including floods and storm surges.

• Budget 2024 proposes to provide $6.9 million over five years, starting in 2024-25, with $1.4 million ongoing for the Meteorological Service of Canada's early warning system for extreme weather events, with a focus on floods and storm surges.

More Affordable Electric Vehicles

As Canada builds its electric vehicle supply chain, which is leading the world and creating more good-paying jobs, the government is helping Canadians make the shift to cleaner, zero-emission vehicles. To connect electric vehicle drivers from coast to coast to coast, the federal government has committed more than $1 billion to build charging stations through Natural Resources Canada's Zero Emission Vehicle Infrastructure program and financing through the Canada Infrastructure Bank.

Since the Incentives for Zero-Emission Vehicles program launched in 2019, zero-emission vehicles have grown as a share of all new vehicle sales from 3 per cent to 11 per cent in 2023, supported by the program's rebate of up to $5,000. From 2019 to September 2023, Canadians purchased or leased over 450,000 zero-emission vehicles—and the government is helping more Canadians join them.

• Budget 2024 proposes to provide $607.9 million over two years, starting in 2024-25, to Transport Canada to top-up the Incentives for Zero-Emission Vehicles program.

Investing in Canada's Parks

Canadians take great pride in the natural wonders that our country has to offer. From the oceans to the mountains, to the tundra, and the lakes, grasslands, and deserts in between, Parks Canada protects and conserves some of the most iconic places in Canada for the enjoyment of Canadians—and visitors from around the world. There are over 200 world-renowned national parks, national marine conservation areas, national urban parks, and national historic sites in Canada. These parks support good jobs, support our tourism industry, and they preserve and protect Canada's natural and historical legacy. We need to make sure that they continue to be there for generations to come.

• Budget 2024 proposes to provide $156.7 million over five years, starting in 2024-25, with $388.5 million in remaining amortization, to the Parks Canada Agency for capital investments in Canada's national parks, national marine conservation areas, and historic sites.

Pituamkek National Park Reserve on PEI

Parks Canada has been working in lockstep with the Prince Edward Island Mi'kmaq First Nations, and other stakeholders to establish the Pituamkek National Park Reserve. This area, located on an island off the northwest coast of Prince Edward Island, is known for its unique sandhill ecosystem and its cultural significance to the Mi'kmaq, whose stories of the islands reach back generations. Home to multiple archaeological sites, rare geological formations, and ceremonial lands, protecting Pituamkek means ensuring that the connection of the Mi'kmaq to these ancestral lands is protected and preserved.

Establishing a new park will also support and conserve the ecological integrity of the area and the wildlife that calls it home. From ensuring a coastal barrier remains untouched, to growing the Island's tourism industry and creating jobs, Pituamkek National Park Reserve, Canada's 48th national park, will ensure this unique ecosystem can be enjoyed for generations.

• Budget 2024 announces that the government is establishing the new Pituamkek National Park Reserve and proposes to provide $71.9 million over 12 years, starting in 2024-25, with $30.7 million in remaining amortization, and $7.5 million per year ongoing, for its creation and operation.

Protecting B.C.'s Great Bear Sea

Through its national marine conservation areas, Parks Canada protects and conserves over 120,000 square kilometers of all of Canada's marine and freshwater ecosystems. Conserving this marine area protects diverse and abundant marine species and some of the largest kelp beds in British Columbia. The government is committed to expanding our network of national parks and marine conservation areas to ensure Canadians and visitors can enjoy our natural heritage today and for generations.

Parks Canada has partnered with the Wuikinuxv, Heiltsuk, Nuxalk, Kitasoo Xai'xais, Gitga'at, and Gitxaala Nations, as well as the province of British Columbia, to advance a new marine conversation area reserve, nestled within the Great Bear Sea, also known as the Northern Shelf Bioregion. This is one of the richest marine environments in the world, home to extraordinary marine mammals, such as orcas and sea otters, as well as ecological features, such as coral and sponge reefs, kelp forests, and eelgrass beds.

• Budget 2024 announces that the government is establishing the new Central Coast National Marine Conservation Area Reserve in British Columbia, and proposes to provide $109.6 million over 11 years, starting in 2025-26, with $57.9 million in remaining amortization, and $10.7 million per year ongoing, for its creation and operation.

Established through a process that has been guided by Indigenous knowledge and world-class science, this new national marine conservation area will not only protect the health of this unique ecosystem, but also the traditional practices and wellbeing of local communities.

A New National Urban Park in Windsor

In 2015, the federal government created Canada's first national urban park, Rouge National Urban Park in the Greater Toronto Area, which will protect nearly 80 square kilometres once fully established and provide critical flood protection for Toronto.

Urban parks such as Rouge protect nature and support urban biodiversity, while providing Canadians with access to green spaces for recreation and learning in an urban environment. A World Health Organization review of health effects of urban green spaces found that urban green spaces can promote mental and physical health, improve air quality, and reduce exposure to excessive heat.

To build healthier communities, the federal government is investing to create more natural and green spaces for urban residents.

• Budget 2024 proposes to provide $36.1 million over five years, starting in 2024-25, with $8.2 million in remaining amortization, and $4.6 million per year ongoing to create Ojibway National Urban Park in Windsor, Ontario.

Ojibway National Urban Park, developed in partnership with the City of Windsor and Indigenous partners including the Walpole Island and Caldwell First Nations, is another example of how different orders of government can work together to protect the environment and advance reconciliation.

Protecting Canadians and the Environment from Harmful Chemicals

Chemicals are found everywhere—in consumer products, industrial processes, hospitals, laboratories, and the natural environment. And the safe and effective management of harmful chemicals is essential to protecting people and the environment from the risks of exposure, such as higher rates of cancer.

The federal government is ensuring industry does not cut corners when it comes to providing products and services to consumers, to protect the health and safety of Canadians and our environment—today and for the next generation.

• Budget 2024 proposes to provide $190.9 million over five years, starting in 2024-25, with $0.1 million in remaining amortization, to Health Canada and Environment and Climate Change Canada to reduce human and environmental exposure to harmful chemicals through its Chemicals Management Plan, which protects Canadians from being exposed to some 30,000 chemicals, including by advancing scientific research to phase out animal toxicity testing.
• Budget 2024 also announces the government will begin work this year to enhance the Chemical Management Plan's existing cost recovery framework, ensuring big industry pays its fair share, to protect Canadians and the environment.

Find out more about the expected gender and diversity impacts for each measure in section 5.1 A Clean and Safe Environment for the Next Generation.

Diversity is Canada's strength. One in three people in Canada is a member of a racialized or religious minority community, making our country a vibrant home of cultures and traditions for everyone to enjoy. Every Canadian deserves to feel safe and respected in their community, no matter their race, ethnicity, religion, gender identity, sexual orientation, or where they are from.

For generations, Canada has welcomed newcomers from around the world, who have worked hard to build a new life in their new country. That's why the government is making our communities more inclusive, welcoming, and resilient for all Canadians. This includes making sure our immigration system maintains its integrity and that we are doing more to combat hate in all its forms, through Canada's Action Plan on Combatting Hate.

Thriving inclusive communities are ones that find ways to bring people together. Journalism, arts, culture, and sport enrich our lives and make for more vibrant and connected communities. That's why the government is investing in making sport more accessible for all Canadians, working to support Canadians' access to independent journalism and Canadian content in both official languages, and supporting the performing arts.

Budget 2024 will empower community organizations to create strong, vibrant, and inclusive communities across the country.

• The largest official languages investment of any federal government in Canadian history—$4.1 billion through the Action Plan for Official Languages 2023-2028: Protection-Promotion-Collaboration .
• Supporting gender equality in sport and addressing barriers to participation, including for racialized people and other equity-deserving groups, with over $190 million to enhance accountability and combat abuse, harassment, and maltreatment in sport.
• Doubling the budget of the Canada Council for the Arts between 2016 and 2021, with $1.1 billion in new funding for the Canada Council for the Arts since 2015-16, and $180 million ongoing.
• Building a vibrant audiovisual industry, including ensuring online streaming platforms contribute to the development and promotion of Canadian stories and creators, as well as over $780 million in direct support for the industry through the Canada Media Fund, Telefilm Canada, the Indigenous Screen Office, and the National Film Board of Canada.
• Supporting local news in underserved and rural communities with $70 million through the Local Journalism Initiative, at a time when media conglomerates have abandoned their responsibilities to maintain news services in small and regional markets. In 2023, the government also announced that, as a result of the Online News Act , Google will contribute $100 million in financial support annually to news businesses across the country.
• Making sure that as the media market changes, journalists are still fairly compensated, by increasing the yearly limit on labour costs under the Canadian journalism labour tax credit from $55,000 to $85,000 per eligible employee, and temporarily increasing the tax credit rate from 25 per cent to 35 per cent.
• Supporting the charitable, non-profit, and other social purpose organizations, through Budget 2021's investment of $755 million for the Social Finance Fund. This long-term program will run until March 31, 2039, and increase access to flexible financing opportunities for projects that create positive social and environmental impacts.
• Since 2018-19, investing over $260 million, for Canada's Anti-Racism Strategy, Canada's Action Plan on Combatting Hate, and the Canada Race Relations Foundation to fight racism and hate and ensure that our society continues to be strengthened by Canada's remarkable diversity.
• Building a better, more inclusive future for Two-Spirit, lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, intersex, and additional sexually and gender diverse people (2SLGBTQI+), by investing nearly $150 million over 10 years, to support Canada's first Federal 2SLGBTQI+ Action Plan, a whole-of-government approach to prioritize and sustain 2SLGBTQI+ community action, to advance and strengthen 2SLGBTQI+ rights at home and abroad, and to embed 2SLGBTQI+ issues in the work of the Government of Canada.
• Producing detailed statistics to highlight the diverse lived-experiences of different groups, including women, Indigenous Peoples, racialized groups, and persons with disabilities, with $172 million over five years, and $36.3 million ongoing, for Statistics Canada's Disaggregated Data Action Plan, starting in 2021.
• Supporting musicians and the music industry by providing $336 million, from 2015-16 to 2022-23, through the Canada Music Fund, for the development and promotion of Canadian artists and their music.
• Supporting the performing arts sector by providing $353.5 million, from 2015-16 to 2022-23, through the Canada Arts Presentation Fund, for organizations that professionally present arts festivals or performing arts series.

Combatting Hate

Hate has no place in Canada. The government is committed to combatting hate in all its forms, so that everyone in Canada is safe in our homes, on our streets, in our places of worship, and in our local communities.

The government remains steadfast in its commitment to protect the rights and dignity of all Canadians, fostering an inclusive Canada welcoming for all, regardless of their race, faith, sexual orientation, gender identity, or disability.

By investing and scaling up efforts to combat hate, the government is strengthening the resiliency of our communities and institutions, so that together, we can build a fairer, safer Canada for every generation.

• $10 million over three years, starting in 2024-25, to the Department of Canadian Heritage to support the Changing Narratives Fund. This builds on previous funding of $5 million provided in Budget 2022;
• $25 million over five years, starting in 2024-25, to the Department of Canadian Heritage to support Anti-Hate programming and promoting intercultural ties and community-based activities;
• $5 million over two years, starting in 2024-25, to support the construction of the new Montréal Holocaust Museum, which will greatly expand the number of people, including schoolchildren, who can learn from its important collections;
• $12.9 million over six years, starting in 2024-25, with $0.9 million ongoing, to support a Memorandum of Understanding between the Department of Canadian Heritage and Statistics Canada to improve the collection and availability of hate crime data in Canada;
• $19.5 million over three years, starting in 2024-25, to Public Safety Canada for the Canada Centre for Community Engagement and Prevention of Violence;
• $26.8 million over four years, starting in 2024-25, to Public Safety Canada to support police colleges to increase training on handling hate crimes;
• $28 million over six years, starting in 2024-25, to the Department of Justice for the Federal Victims Strategy to provide support to victims following a hate-motivated crime;
• $1.5 million over five years, starting in 2024-25, to the Department of Justice for developing and delivering specialized training to Crown prosecutors and to raise awareness in the judiciary about the unique dynamics of hate crime;
• $12 million over five years, starting in 2024-25, to Women and Gender Equality Canada to fund projects aimed at combatting hate against the 2SLGBTQI+ community;
• $3 million over two years, starting in 2024-25, to Women and Gender Equality Canada to support security needs for Pride festivals;
• $20.2 million over six years, starting in 2024-25, and $3.2 million ongoing, to the Royal Canadian Mounted Police and the Canadian Police College to enhance their anti-hate work with the Canadian Race Relations Foundation and policing partners through the Hate Crimes Task Force. This funding is offset by cost recovery of police colleges of $3.8 million over six years, starting in 2024-25, and $1.3 million ongoing;
• $18 million over six years, starting in 2024-25, and $3 million ongoing, to the Canadian Race Relations Foundation to expand the scope of their work and create a stand-alone Combatting Hate: Community Information Resource Hub. The Hub will bring together, government, law enforcement and professionals to collect hate-crime related data, develop common standards for reporting and defining hate crimes; and provide important hate-crime related training; and,
• $45 million over five years, starting in 2025-26, and $9 million ongoing, to support the capacity of the Canadian Race Relations Foundation. 

As detailed below, Budget 2024's investments in Canada's Action Plan on Combatting Hate also includes funding for the Special Envoy on Preserving Holocaust Remembrance and Combatting Antisemitism, the Special Representative on Combatting Islamophobia, and for enhancing the Security Infrastructure Program.

Addressing the Rise in Antisemitism 

Recently, Canada has witnessed a worrying increase in Antisemitism, underscoring the need for urgent collective action. United against hate, the government is resolute in protecting Jewish communities from bigotry, hate, and religious discrimination. 

• As part of Canada's Action Plan on Combatting Hate, Budget 2024 proposes to provide $7.3 million over six years, starting in 2024-25, with $1.1 million ongoing, to the Department of Canadian Heritage to support the Special Envoy on Preserving Holocaust Remembrance and Combatting Antisemitism. This builds on previous funding in Budget 2022 of $5.6 million over five years, starting in 2022-23, and $1.2 million ongoing.  

These investments will help build a more inclusive society, ensuring that current and future generations of Jewish people in Canada can feel safe at home.

Addressing the Rise in Islamophobia

Recently, Canada has witnessed a worrying increase in Islamophobia, underscoring the need for urgent collective action. The government is resolute in protecting Muslim communities from bigotry, hate, and religious discrimination. 

• As part of Canada's Action Plan on Combatting Hate, Budget 2024 proposes to provide $7.3 million over six years, starting in 2024-25, with $1.1 million ongoing, to the Department of Canadian Heritage to support the Special Representative on Combatting Islamophobia. This builds on previous funding in Budget 2022 of $5.6 million over five years, starting 2022-23, and $1.2 million ongoing.

These investments will help build a more inclusive society, ensuring that current and future generations of Muslim people in Canada can feel safe at home. 

Enhancing the Security Infrastructure Program

Every Canadian has a right to feel safe. No one should feel targeted for who they are, or the religion they believe in. Freedom to practice one's religion without discrimination or persecution is a Charter protected right—and the federal government is taking action to uphold this right.

To help people feel safe to practice their faith, the Security Infrastructure Program provides funding to organizations to protect communities at risk of hate-motivated crime by enhancing physical security at their gathering spaces.

In 2023, the Security Infrastructure Program allocated an additional $10 million to help Canadian communities at risk of hate-motivated crimes protect and strengthen the security of their community centres, places of worship, day schools, and other institutions.

• As part of Canada's Action Plan on Combatting Hate, Budget 2024 proposes to provide $32 million over six years, starting in 2024-25, and $11 million ongoing, for Public Safety Canada to further enhance the Security Infrastructure Program.

This includes making the increased funding of $11 million per year, starting in 2024-25, provided in Budget 2023 permanent. Budget 2024 also announces the government's intention to cut red tape and evolve the Security Infrastructure Program to make it easier and more efficient for organizations to access security support when they need it.

Preserving Holocaust Remembrance

Preserving the memory of the Holocaust is important to ensuring it never happens again. By educating current and future generations of Canadians about the Holocaust, the government will advance its fight against denial and Holocaust-related disinformation, and raise awareness of Antisemitism.

• To create a new National Holocaust Remembrance Program, Budget 2024 proposes to provide $5 million over five years, starting in 2024-25, and $2 million ongoing, to the Department of Canadian Heritage, to support initiatives that seek to preserve the memory of the Holocaust and help improve Canadians' understanding, awareness towards the Holocaust and Antisemitism.
• Budget 2024 announces that the Department of Canadian Heritage will launch a project to review and renew Canada's National Holocaust Monument, using existing resources, including to broaden its visibility and engagement in Ottawa and with Canadians across the country.

Supporting the Mental Health of Black Canadians

Black Canadians have historically faced disproportionate social and systemic challenges, including experiences of racism and discrimination, socioeconomic inequality, a lack of access to culturally appropriate services, and stigma related to accessing mental health care.

To close these gaps, the Mental Health of Black Canadians Fund supports community-based and culturally focused initiatives that aim to increase health equity and address the underlying determinants of mental health, including anti-Black racism.

• Budget 2024 proposes to provide $4 million over two years, starting in 2024-25, for the Public Health Agency of Canada to continue supporting initiatives through the Mental Health of Black Canadians Fund that aim to increase health equity and address mental health and its determinants for Black Canadians.

Since 2015, the federal government has committed more than $760 million to programs that support Black Canadians and their communities. These investments include:

• Up to $265 million for the Black Entrepreneurship Program to help Black business owners and entrepreneurs grow their businesses and succeed now and into the future through access to loans, mentorship, financial planning services, and business training, as well as advancing research on Black entrepreneurship in Canada;
• $200 million in grants and contributions to strengthen the foundational capacity (e.g., governance, fiscal management, etc.) of Black-led and Black-serving community organizations through the Supporting Black Canadian Communities Initiative;
• $200 million to establish the Black-led Philanthropic Endowment Fund, which serves as a sustainable source of funding for community-led projects that help combat anti-Black racism and improve social and economic outcomes in Black communities;
• $60.5 million in support for targeted scholarships and fellowships for promising Black researchers;
• $49.6 million to establish mental health supports for Black public servants and dedicated career development programs, including to support career advancement of Black public service leaders in executive positions; and,
• $9.6 million for community-based mental health initiatives through the Mental Health of Black Canadians Fund.

Investing in CBC/Radio-Canada

CBC/Radio-Canada is key to our democracy. As Canada's national public broadcaster, CBC/Radio-Canada ensures people in all parts of Canada, including rural, remote, and Indigenous communities, have access to local and Canadian news and entertainment, in their preferred official language. Like many media organizations, CBC/Radio-Canada has experienced declining advertising and subscription revenues that threaten its ability to fulfill its mandate of providing public television and radio programming.

• Budget 2024 proposes to provide $42 million in 2024-25 for CBC/Radio-Canada news and entertainment programming, ensuring Canadians across the country, including rural, remote, Indigenous, and minority language communities, have access to high-quality, independent journalism and entertainment.

Promoting Local Journalism

Access to high quality and independent news and information is a key pillar of any democracy. Over the years, private corporations have bought up media outlets, including small community papers and broadcast channels, but have not been there to support the journalists who are the heartbeat of news. Combined with shifts to the digital platforms of multinational tech giants who are reducing revenue streams, local news is facing critical challenges. If we allow the erosion of news media, we are enabling the sort of unchecked disinformation and misinformation that will erode our democracy.

The government believes that Canadians, no matter where they live, especially those in small, underserved, and official language communities, need to be able to have access to independent local journalism.

To support the production of independent, reliable, and diverse local news across the country, the government announced $58.8 million over three years, starting in 2024-25, to the Department of Canadian Heritage for the Local Journalism Initiative. This support would be available to written press, community radio and television, and online news services.

Investing in Public Interest Programming Services

Public interest programming services, including the Cable Public Affairs Channel (CPAC), Aboriginal Peoples Television Network (APTN), Accessible Media Inc (AMI), ICI Television, and TV5 Québec Canada, among others, play important roles providing news programming to Canadians, and ensuring diverse voices are heard and accessible across the country.

The services provided by not-for-profit media organizations, like APTN, which amplifies Indigenous voices covering Indigenous news, for Indigenous communities across the country, need urgent support to continue delivering the news.

• Budget 2024 proposes to provide $15 million over two years, starting in 2024‑25, to the Department of Canadian Heritage to support public interest programming services, including $5 million in 2024-25 to support CPAC's capital requirements.

Supporting Canada's National Athletes

Our high-performance national athletes represent Canadian sporting excellence on the world's biggest stages, including the Olympic and Paralympic Games. They inspire the next generation of athletes to dream big.

The Athlete Assistance Program provides financial support for high-performance athletes, enabling them to combine their sport, working, and academic careers while training to compete for Canada.

• Budget 2024 proposes to provide $35 million over five years, starting in 2024-25, and $7 million ongoing to the Department of Canadian Heritage, for the Athlete Assistance Program. This would increase the funding allowance for supported athletes and support additional athletes in new Olympic Paralympic sport disciplines.
• Budget 2024 proposes to provide $16 million over two years, starting in 2024-25, to the Department of Canadian Heritage for the Sport Support Program. This will help create a safer and more welcoming sport environment for athletes, from amateur to Olympian. Priorities will include preventing and addressing maltreatment, supporting those with concussions and mental health issues, and advancing inclusion, diversity, equity, and accessibility.

Community Sports for Everyone 

Community sports for youth, for seniors, and for newcomers can help people live healthier, happier lifestyles, and feel a greater sense of belonging and connectedness with their community. Helping more Canadians, of all ages, to build a healthier life can mean fewer trips to the doctor, lower risk of major life-changing illnesses, and, in general, aging with more energy and more independence. Sport enables people to more fully participate in the economy, and lowers the burden on our health care systems, reducing costs in the long-term.

• Budget 2024 proposes to provide $15 million over two years, starting in 2024-25 to the Department of Canadian Heritage to help support community sport programming and reduce barriers to sport participation.

This funding makes sports more accessible for young Canadians by helping cover the costs of community sports programs, ensuring every child has the opportunity to participate.

Supporting Canadian Film Producers

Canadian film tells the stories of all of Canada's diversity to audiences at home and around the world—and the federal government is committed to supporting Canadian content and the producers, artists, scriptwriters, and more who make it possible.

By investing in our filmmakers, we are supporting 183,716 full-time equivalent jobs directly linked to the sector, which contributes $20.3 billion to the Canadian economy every year. Federal support for filmmaking also plays a critical role in strengthening our official languages by promoting francophone productions.

On January 31, 2024, the government announced $100 million over two years, starting in 2024-25, for Telefilm Canada to elevate a diverse range of content creators and producers across Canada's vibrant film industry.

As detailed in Chapter 6, the government also supports Indigenous filmmakers to share their stories with Canada and the world through the Indigenous Screen Office.

A Stronger Canadian Music Scene 

Canadian musicians need support to compete in an industry driven by global streaming giants, and facing increasing production costs. In 2022, Canada's music industry was the eighth largest market in the world, and grew by 8.12 per cent—nearly double the rate of the U.S. music industry at just 4.8 per cent. The federal government is supporting the vibrancy of Canada's music sector to ensure it remains vibrant and can continue contributing to our culture for the enjoyment of all Canadians.

On March 24, 2024, the government announced $32 million over two years, starting in 2024‑25, to the Department of Canadian Heritage for the Canada Music Fund to support the development and promotion of Canadian musicians and Canadian music.

Vibrant Festivals and Performing Arts 

Festivals, film, and live performance events help weave a vibrant tapestry of culture, community, and diversity. Whether it is displays of multiculturalism during cultural festivals or artistic and musical performances, these platforms serve as catalysts for unity, understanding, and the appreciation of Canada's rich cultural heritage. The performing arts sector, and the vibrant festivals hosted in communities across the country, also help artists develop and grow, attract tourists, and make life more enjoyable for Canadians.

Each year, through the Canada Arts Presentation Fund, the government supports approximately 680 professional arts festivals and performing arts series in more than 270 cities and towns across the country. The government also recognizes the important work of independent local festivals in making communities across the country more vibrant for Canadians, which is why it is providing new support to ensure their continued success.

• La TOHU in Montreal, Quebec, to support the Festival Montréal Complètement Cirque that brings people together with stunning circus programs.
• The Festival TransAmériques in Montreal, Quebec, which is a contemporary dance and theatre festival that showcases innovative and groundbreaking performances from artists around the globe.
• The Sherbrooke Film Festival in Quebec, which is a platform for emerging and established filmmakers, highlighting independent films across various genres from around the world.
• The Festival des traditions du monde in Sherbrooke, Quebec, which is a vibrant celebration of global cultures, offering music, dance, food, and crafts from around the world.
• The Vancouver Fringe Festival in British Columbia, which is a celebration of independent theatre, featuring a wide range of performances by artists of all levels of experience.
• $23 million over three years, starting in 2024-25 for The Toronto International Film Festival, which attracts leading filmmakers and actors from around the world, playing an important role in Toronto's entertainment and tourism industries.
• $15 million in 2024-25 for the Shaw Festival Theatre in Niagara-on-the-Lake, Ontario, which showcases plays by George Bernard Shaw and his era. Funding will support their ambitious All.Together.Now expansion campaign.
• Budget 2024 also proposes to provide $1.8 million in 2024-25, to the Department of Canadian Heritage to support the Indus Media Foundation, in Surrey, British Columbia, to support completion of their short film that highlights the shared military heritage of Canadian and Indian soldiers in the First and Second World War.

Building New Museums and Cultural Centres

Our society is made stronger every day by Canada's cultural and ethnic diversity. Canada's rich cultural fabric is full of long and celebrated histories and telling these stories both informs and builds bridges of understanding. The government is committed to preserving the past and supporting the future of Canada's remarkable diversity.

• Support the Sikh Arts & Culture Foundation and the Royal Ontario Museum to create a museum space in Toronto dedicated to Sikh arts, culture, and heritage; and,
• Support the operations of the Hellenic Community of Vancouver.

Beyond these funding allocations, the federal government is committed to being a funding partner for a new museum and a new cultural centre in British Columbia. Once further details are announced, the federal government will contribute to build a new museum highlighting the histories, cultures, and contributions of Canadians of diverse South Asian heritages, as well as a new Filipino cultural centre that will create a designated space for the Filipino community to come together and celebrate its culture and heritage.

Supporting the Canadian Book Industry

Canada has given the world some of the best books, written by some of the best authors. Novels draw readers in Canada and around the world into our uniquely Canadian landscapes and our diverse perspectives. Biographies, histories, and non-fiction that critique Canadian society ensure a faithful record of the Canadian experience and perspectives are kept.

• Budget 2024 proposes to provide $10 million over three years, starting in 2024-25, to Canadian Heritage for the Canada Book Fund to elevate Canadian authors and stories both at home and abroad through increased supports for Canadian authors and book publishers.

Supporting the National Arts Centre

The National Arts Centre is Canada's home for the performing arts and supports over 1,400 arts events across Canada every year. It is the largest bilingual performing arts centre in Canada and nurtures the next generation of artists, musicians, dancers, playwrights, choreographers, actors, and directors from across the country.

• Budget 2024 proposes to provide $45 million over three years, starting in 2025-26, for the National Arts Centre to ensure continued support for artists and productions across the country.

Supporting Harbourfront Centre

Harbourfront Centre is Toronto's waterfront home to arts, cultural, and recreational programming. Each year, Harbourfront Centre hosts more than 4,000 events, attracting world-renowned exhibitions and artists to the heart of the city. Harbourfront Centre introduces Toronto audiences to a broad range of programming not typically shown at commercial venues, positioning it as a key economic and cultural asset for the city, which attracts millions of visitors every year.

Today, this Toronto institution is in need of repairs in order to continue welcoming visitors from Toronto and beyond.

• Budget 2024 proposes to provide $10 million over two years, starting in 2024‑25, to the Department of Canadian Heritage, to support Harbourfront Centre's ability to make critical capital repairs.

Charities and non-profits are pillars of communities across Canada. They deliver child care, affordable housing, and frontline services to Canadians in need. Since 2015, the federal government has worked in even closer partnership with the charitable and non-profit sector to deliver more support to Canadians, providing over $2 billion in support to the charitable sector.

This support includes:

• Supporting non-profit housing providers through programs like the Affordable Housing Fund, which is helping to build 60,000 new homes and repair or renew 240,000 more;
• The delivery of both the Emergency Community Support Fund and the Community Services Recovery Fund to provide $750 million to charities and non-profits to weather the storm of the pandemic and to emerge from the crisis even stronger;
• Investing in social finance through $755 million for the Social Finance Fund and $100 million for the Investment Readiness Program, so charities can maximize the impacts of their work and establish greater financial resilience to ensure they can continue serving their clients;
• $200 million for a new Black-led Philanthropic Endowment Fund as well as $200 million for the Supporting Black Canadian Communities Initiative. These investments are improving economic and social outcomes in Black communities and supporting capacity-building of Black-led non-profit organizations;
• Youth employment support through the Canada Summer Jobs Program and Youth Employment and Skills Strategy Program. The Canada Summer Jobs Program provides wage subsidies to hundreds of non-profit organizations every year;
• Strategic investments through the Social Development Partnerships Program to help improve the life outcomes of Canadians;
• Community building projects such as New Horizons for Seniors, which promotes volunteerism among seniors and other generations to make our communities more senior-inclusive;
• Employment supports including the Sectoral Workforce Strategy and partnering with the not-for-profit sector to drive the Employment Strategy for Persons with Disabilities through the Opportunities Fund;
• Arts and cultural programming that supports non-profits in presenting festivals through the Building Communities Through Arts and Heritage Fund and museums in holding exhibitions through the Museum Assistance Program; and,
• Settlement and newcomer supports, such as the Racialized Newcomer Women Pilot.

Additionally, the federal government has made important structural changes to enable charities and non-profits to more easily do their work in a friendlier regulatory environment, including:

• Allowing charities to fully engage in public policy dialogue and development, free from political harassment, by amending the Income Tax Act in 2018;
• Establishing a permanent advisory committee on the charitable sector in 2019 to engage charities on policy and regulatory issues;
• Allowing charities to provide resources to organizations that are not qualified donees beginning in 2022, so they can better serve their clients; and,
• Making sure the money Canadians donate to charities is invested into our communities and front-line services as expected by unlocking investment assets held by foundations and boosting grantmaking to charities.

Criminal Justice Legal Aid

All Canadians have a right—enshrined in the Charter of Rights and Freedoms—to equal protection under the law and equal benefit of the law. To deny access to justice is to deny people their dignity, to say that some people are worthy of justice and some aren't.

To support Canadians in their access to justice, the federal government has provided $804 million for criminal justice legal aid services since 2019. When defendants have access to counsel cases can move through the system more quickly, which makes the criminal justice system work better for everyone. To help reduce court delays:

• Budget 2024 proposes to provide $440 million over five years, starting in 2024-25, to the Department of Justice to support access to legal aid in the criminal justice system.

Immigration and Refugee Legal Aid

The Charter of Rights and Freedoms protects a number of rights of individuals in Canada—regardless of if they are an immigrant or refugee—including the right to life, liberty, and security of the person. Access to legal aid helps support these rights and uphold the integrity of the asylum system by ensuring fair adjudication of asylum claims while also supporting a timely, and efficient process.

The federal government funds immigration and refugee legal aid services, in partnership with provinces and service providers, to support the fairness and integrity of the asylum system and access to justice for those who are coming to Canada—often fleeing violence, war, or persecution—but are unable to pay for legal assistance.

• Budget 2024 proposes to provide $273.7 million over five years, starting in 2024-25, and $43.5 million ongoing to the Department of Justice for immigration and refugee legal aid services.

Protecting Official Language Rights 

Canada's official languages must be protected and promoted. The modernized Official Languages Act enacted new responsibilities to strengthen the use of French and support official language minority communities across Canada, from Acadians in the Maritimes to the vibrant Francophone communities in the Prairies and Northern Ontario. This includes timely translation of court decisions to support access to justice in both official languages.

• Budget 2024 proposes to provide $26 million over five years, starting in 2024-25, to the Department of Canadian Heritage, the Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat, and the Office of the Commissioner of Official Languages to support the implementation of An Act for the Substantive Equality of Canada's Official Languages .
• Budget 2024 also proposes to provide $9.6 million over three years, starting in 2024-25, to the Courts Administration Service to enhance its capacity to deliver translated decisions by federal courts.

Upholding Democratic Participation in Official Languages

Canadians have a right to listen to and engage in their Parliamentary process in their preferred official language. The federal government plays an important role in protecting official language rights for all Canadians—no matter where in Canada they live.

Parliamentary translators and interpreters enable Canadians to tune in to Parliamentary debates—in their preferred official language—by providing timely and high-quality translation and interpretation in English and French at all stages of the Parliamentary process. Labour shortages and resource constraints have strained translation services, putting Canadians' ability to engage in democracy at risk.

• Budget 2024 proposes to provide $31.9 million over five years, starting in 2024-25, and $3 million per year ongoing, to Public Services and Procurement Canada's Translation Bureau to expand translation and interpretation capacity in Parliament and uphold Official Languages Act requirements.
• To train the next generation of official language interpreters, Budget 2024 proposes to provide $1.1 million over five years, starting in 2024-25, and $0.2 million ongoing for Public Services and Procurement Canada to establish a scholarship program. Funding will be sourced from the department's existing resources.

Find out more about the expected gender and diversity impacts for each measure in section 5.2 Vibrant and Inclusive Communities

The federal government is building communities where Canadians want to live. This means ensuring they feel confident and safe wherever they choose to live, work, and raise their families. 

At a time when rates of auto theft are on the rise, especially in Ontario and Quebec, and emerging threats to our children's online safety are making some Canadians feel unsafe in their communities, the government is taking action to protect Canadians.

Budget 2024 announces expanded authorities to combat auto theft, keep assault-style firearms off our streets, and combat gang violence. The government is also announcing new protections for Canadians, particularly children, from harmful online content, and enhanced support for the heroic Canadians who serve as volunteer first responders.

• Combatting gun and gang violence to make our streets safer, through the Building Safer Communities Fund, which provided funding of $215 million from 2018 to 2023, and will provide an additional $390 million from 2023 to 2028, as well as through the Initiative to Take Action Against Gun and Gang Violence.
• Progress towards a Canada free of gender-based violence, with $1 billion since Budget 2021 to advance the National Action Plan to End Gender-Based Violence, to support victims, survivors, and their families, no matter where they live.
• Improving policing transparency and accountability, including through a National Body-Worn Camera Program for frontline RCMP officers to improve policing transparency and accountability, supported by funding of $238.5 million over six years, starting in 2020-21, and $50 million ongoing.
• Supporting youth who encounter the criminal justice system to build a better future, including through the Youth Justice Services Funding Program, which in Budget 2021, received $216.4 million over five years, and $43.3 million ongoing.
• Protecting communities from hate through the Security Infrastructure Program. Budget 2023 invested $49.5 million over five years, starting in 2023-24, and an additional $10 million was reallocated by Public Safety Canada in fall 2023, to help communities at risk of hate-motivated violence with security infrastructure at their gathering places.

Cracking Down on Auto Theft

Auto theft harms thousands of Canadians every year. In 2022, the Insurance Bureau of Canada estimated a record $1.2 billion in theft claims were paid out. This illegal activity is hurting innocent Canadians, burdening them with higher insurance rates, the stress of replacing a vehicle, and in the worst cases, leaving them out of pocket for tens of thousands of dollars. While insurance may help those with full coverage to recoup some of these costs, the damage of losing one's sense of security in their own neighbourhood cannot be repaid.

No one should wake up to discover their means of getting to work, school, or the grocery store has been taken from them. The government is cracking down on auto theft with a robust plan to make it harder to steal vehicles and to export stolen vehicles. The government is also moving forward with harsher penalties under the Criminal Code for those who commit an auto-theft related offence.

• New criminal offences related to auto theft involving the use of violence or links to organized crime; possession or distribution of an electronic or digital device for the purposes of committing auto theft; and laundering proceeds of crime for the benefit of a criminal organization; and,
• A new aggravating factor at sentencing if an offender involved a young person in committing an offence under the Criminal Code .
• Budget 2024 also announces the government's intention to amend the Radiocommunication Act to regulate the sale, possession, distribution, and import of devices used to steal cars. This will enable law enforcement agencies to remove devices believed to be used to steal cars from the Canadian marketplace.
• $28 million was announced on February 7, 2024, to strengthen the Canada Border Services Agency's capacity to detect and search containers with stolen vehicles, and for testing technologies that could support the work of border services officers.
• $15 million was announced on February 21, 2024, for Public Safety Canada to allocate funding to provincial, territorial, and municipal police forces to address auto theft, and to strengthen policing to crack down on international organized crime.
• On April 3, 2024, the Canada Border Services Agency, in collaboration with police forces across Ontario and Quebec, announced the success of an operation that recovered nearly 600 stolen vehicles from the Port of Montreal.

Doubling Volunteer Firefighter and Search and Rescue Tax Credits

Every year about 100,000 Canadians volunteer their time, and sacrifice their own safety, to keep their neighbours safe by firefighting and through search and rescue. From flooding in Nova Scotia to hurricanes hitting Newfoundland and Labrador, to fires in British Columbia, the Prairies, and the North, these remarkable volunteers have gone beyond the call of duty over the past few years.

The Volunteer Firefighters Tax Credit and the Search and Rescue Volunteers Tax Credit are there to support the service of remarkable Canadians and encourage more people to do this critical, lifesaving work. From West Hants, Nova Scotia to Ucluelet, British Columbia, volunteer first responders are often the only first responders of their kind in small communities. As Canada grows, and climate change increases the number and severity of natural disasters, we need more people volunteering alongside them to meet rising demand in growing communities.

• Budget 2024 announces the government's intention to amend the Income Tax Act to increase the tax credits, from $3,000 to $6,000, in recognition of the important role played by these volunteers in contributing to the security and safety of Canadians. Enhancing the tax credits will provide these essential volunteers with up to an additional $450 back on their taxes, at an estimated cost to government of $105 million over six years, starting in 2023-24.

More Support for Firefighting Training

Canada is facing more frequent and more extreme wildfires, and this trend will continue as climate change causing intensifying wildfire seasons. Equipping responders with advanced skills tailored for modern wildfire scenarios strengthens our capacity to mitigate risks and protect Canadians and critical assets.

• Budget 2024 proposes to provide $800,000 to Natural Resources Canada in 2024-25 to continue to partner with the International Association of Fire Fighters to help build wildfire fighting capacity and enhance training best practices, with a focus on the wildland-urban interface. This builds on existing funding to support the federal government's commitment to train 1,000 wildland firefighters.

Taking Assault Weapons Off Our Streets

Every Canadian should feel safe in their community. But in recent years, we have seen shootings take innocent lives, leaving communities with generational trauma from the brutality of such crimes. Gun violence is an unacceptable and preventable threat to the safety of Canadians across Canada, with 41 per cent of all homicides in 2022 involving a firearm.

To keep our streets safe today and tomorrow, the federal government banned assault-style firearms in 2020, and is now moving forward with a plan to buy back these assault weapons from retailers and Canadians to ensure they never fall into the hands of criminals. Budget 2024 proposes to provide:

• $30.4 million over two years, starting in 2024-25, to Public Safety Canada for the buyback of assault-style firearms, sourced from existing departmental resources.
• $7.4 million over five years, starting in 2024-25, with $1.7 million in remaining amortization, to the Royal Canadian Mounted Police to modernize the Canadian Firearms Program's telephone and case management systems.

Protecting Children from Online Harm

Social media is simply a fact of life today; it is with us in our pockets, wherever we go. While online platforms offer connection, social media is also becoming increasingly filled with hate and risks of harm. And our children are spending more and more time online.

Social media and other online platforms need to do more to keep our children safe from being deceived, exploited, and taken advantage of by those with malicious motives. No child should ever fall victim to bullying, threats, or predators, but online platforms are failing to protect our children from known harms that exist online. Online platforms are failing to protect our most vulnerable, and must do more to ensure harmful content is not being prioritized and served to our children. We must ensure online platforms are safe places that enable the participation, connection, and freedom of expression of all Canadians, particularly the youngest generations.

• Budget 2024 proposes to provide $52 million over five years, starting in 2024-25, with $2.1 million in remaining amortization, to Canadian Heritage and the Royal Canadian Mounted Police to protect children, and all Canadians, by subjecting large online platforms to a duty to act responsibly, ensuring that the platforms are reducing a user's exposure to harmful content online and by creating a Digital Safety Commission to ensure this duty is being adequately met. The government will also establish a Digital Safety Ombudsperson to be a resource and advocate for users and victims of online harm.
• Budget 2024 also proposes to provide $2.5 million in 2024-25 to Public Safety Canada to support the important work of the Canadian Centre for Child Protection in preventing and responding to online child sexual exploitation, of which $1.5 million will be sourced from existing resources.

Kids Help Phone

The mental health challenges facing young people, particularly Gen Z, have only grown more complex in recent years, whether it is from problems at home, online, or at school. Their emotional and mental health needs require a competent, understanding, and sympathetic ear.

Kids Help Phone is Canada's only 24/7 e-mental health service offering free, confidential support to young people in English and French, and 100 other languages. Because every child deserves the best start in life, the government is investing to ensure Kids Help Phone is there for any younger Canadian that needs it.

• Budget 2024 proposes to provide $7.5 million over three years, starting in 2024-25, to the Public Health Agency of Canada to support Kids Help Phone in their work providing mental health, counselling, and crisis support to young people.

Future of Sport in Canada Commission

For young people, playing sports is a part of life. It is not just about being active and healthy, it's about being on a team, having a group of friends, and discovering the excellence that you're capable of achieving. For some, that can lead them to competitive leagues and high-level training that means being away from their families for hours, if not weeks at a time. No matter the level of competition, as young athletes train, they must always be safe.

Shocking evidence and allegations of sexual abuse and unsafe environments in Canadian competitive sports have brought to light a culture that has left young athletes at risk. This is absolutely unacceptable. A thorough review of sports in Canada is needed to protect young Canadians, and ensure they can safely participate in, and enjoy, their favourite sports.

The Minister of Sport and Physical Activity announced the Future of Sport in Canada Commission on December 11, 2023, to engage and seek input from the sport community and make recommendations to improve safety in sport.

• Budget 2024 proposes to provide $10.6 million over two years, starting in 2024-25, to Canadian Heritage, to support the operations of the Future of Sport in Canada Commission in its review of the Canadian sport system.

Addressing the Overdose Crisis in Municipalities and Indigenous Communities

Too many Canadians have been lost to the ongoing overdose crisis facing communities from coast to coast to coast. Increasing drug toxicity and high opioid-related death rates remain urgent public health concerns across the country. The overdose crisis and toxic illegal drug supplies take the lives of an average of 22 Canadians per day—many of whom are experiencing homelessness and acute mental health needs.

• Building on historic health care investments, including in mental health and substance use, Budget 2024 proposes to provide $150 million over three years, starting in 2024-25, to Health Canada for an Emergency Treatment Fund, open to municipalities and Indigenous communities to help provide rapid responses to emergent, critical needs related to the opioid crisis.

Combatting Workplace Sexual Harassment

Everyone should feel safe at work, but workplace sexual harassment continues to impact the health and well-being, particularly of women, young people, 2SLGBTQI+ persons, Indigenous people, and racialized Canadians. To support access to justice for people who experience sexual harassment and to work toward safer workplaces, the government helps fund legal supports for survivors.

• Budget 2024 proposes to provide $30.6 million over three years, starting in 2024-25, to Justice Canada to continue funding legal advisory and education services for victims of workplace sexual harassment.

More Judges for Faster Access to Justice

Canada's court system plays a critical role in the safety, well-being, and delivery of justice for Canadians. However, Alberta has been allocated judicial seats which they have chosen not to create, resulting in 17 unused judicial seats intended for unified family courts. This slows down Canadians' access to justice.

To accelerate Canadians' access to justice, the federal government is appointing more judges where they are needed, and will be used. By redistributing positions to courts in jurisdictions where they will be put to use, the federal government will ensure funding for Canada's justice system does not go to waste, as some provinces have chosen to do.

• Budget 2024 proposes to reallocate $50.2 million over five years, starting in 2024-25, and $10.9 million ongoing for the Office of the Commissioner for Federal Judicial Affairs to redistribute 17 judicial positions to provincial superior courts currently experiencing capacity issues.
• To implement this change, Budget 2024 announces the government's intention to amend the Judges Act to move 17 superior court judicial positions from Unified Family Courts to provincial superior courts.
• Budget 2024 also announces the government's intention to launch consultations on repealing the residency requirements for Federal Court and Tax Court judges. Eliminating residency requirements would allow for a wider and more diverse pool of applicants.

Find out more about the expected gender and diversity impacts for each measure in section 5.3 Safer Communities

Growing communities need to build more infrastructure to build more homes. From water, sewer, and power lines to child care centres, libraries, and parks, liveable communities require major investments to keep growing. The federal government is doing its part and investing in projects in cities and towns across the country to keep Canadians connected—be it broadband internet in our smallest towns or railways to the most remote places.

Reliable transportation systems and resilient public infrastructure improve the lives of Canadians. By supporting the efficient movement of goods and people, our transportation systems drive economic growth and connect communities across the country. And by fostering healthy and liveable communities, public infrastructure, such as public transit systems, water treatment facilities, and cultural centres, helps create communities where people and businesses can thrive.  The federal government is investing in Canada's transportation systems and public infrastructure to ensure they are safe, reliable, and resilient today, that our goods keep flowing to market, people keep moving, and our economy keeps growing.

• $33.5 billion through the Investing in Canada Infrastructure Program, to support infrastructure projects in every province and territory across four streams: public transit; green infrastructure; community, culture, and recreation infrastructure; and rural and northern communities infrastructure.
• Public transit programming, including $2.4 billion for the Zero Emission Transit Fund, $400 million for the Active Transportation Fund, and $150 million for the Rural Transit Solutions Fund. Starting in 2026-27, the government will provide $3 billion per year in permanent public transit funding for projects across the country.
• $4.3 billion under the National Trade Corridors Fund to improve the movement of people and goods in Canada, and help Canadian businesses compete in key global markets.
• $3.8 billion through the Disaster Mitigation and Adaptation Fund to support projects that are increasing the resilience of communities affected by natural disasters triggered by climate change.
• $1.5 billion under the Green and Inclusive Community Buildings program, which supports green and physically accessible retrofits, repairs, and upgrades of existing public community facilities, and the construction of new publicly-accessible community facilities.
• Escalating annual funding through the Canada Community-Building Fund, which provided $2.4 billion in 2023-24 to cities for 19 different infrastructure categories, such as public transit, drinking water, wastewater, community energy systems, and culture.
• $35 billion to be invested by the Canada Infrastructure Bank in revenue-generating infrastructure projects that are in the public interest across the following sectors: clean power, green infrastructure, public transit, trade and transportation, and broadband. 

Update on Infrastructure Funding

Since 2015, the federal government has supported communities across the country to build the infrastructure they need to grow. Helping communities grow means workers can find a place to live closer to work. When workers can afford to live near their jobs, short commutes turn into high productivity. This helps our economy grow, because businesses will only choose to scale-up in communities where workers want to live.

Between 2015-16 and 2022-23, the government provided $43.4 billion for infrastructure investments across the country. These investments are helping to advance projects like an expansion of the cycling network in Richmond, British Columbia, Calgary's Green Line Light Rail Transit project, Yellowknife's Flood Hazard Mitigation project, the short line track enhancement project with Central Manitoba Railway, the retrofit of the Kingston Native Centre and Language Nest, the rehabilitation of the Port of Forestville in Quebec, the construction of Charlottetown's Library Learning Centre, and a new youth innovation hub in St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador.

As announced in Budget 2023, provinces have fully committed their Investing in Canada Infrastructure Program funding to projects in their jurisdictions (territories have until March 31, 2025, to do so). With over 6,000 projects approved in communities across the country, funding under the program will continue to flow for the next ten years, through to 2033-34.

In fact, federal funding for infrastructure has yet to peak. As shown in Chart 5.5 below, in 2024-25, an estimated $8.3 billion in federal funding will be disbursed across the government's suite of infrastructure programs. Funding will continue to grow over the coming years, with a projected peak of $11.3 billion in 2027-28. In total, the federal government expects to provide $57.3 billion in support of infrastructure projects across the country from 2023-24 until 2028-29. This disbursement of federal funding from existing programs aligns with the construction progress of infrastructure projects, as well as the permanent public transit funding starting in 2026-27.

Within the federal government's suite of infrastructure programming, the Canada Community-Building Fund and the Investing in Canada Infrastructure Program provide broad-based support to infrastructure projects across the country. As shown in Table 5.3 below, across these two programs alone, the federal government expects to provide $56.1 billion from 2023-24 to 2033-34.

These investments do not include new measures announced in Budget 2024 to further support the needs of growing communities. As announced in Chapter 1, the government is launching a new Canada Housing Infrastructure Fund and the Canada Infrastructure Bank is leveraging its $35 billion envelope to launch a new Infrastructure for Housing Initiative.

More Community Centres 

Community facilities, like libraries, cultural and community centres, and recreation facilities, are essential spaces for social interaction where Canadians can come together as neighbours. Recreation facilities help people build healthier lives, improving well-being and longevity. Libraries build literacy and learning, especially for young minds, and provide internet access for people with low incomes who can't afford it at home.

The Green and Inclusive Community Buildings program is providing $1.5 billion to support green and accessible retrofits and upgrades of existing public community facilities, as well as the construction of new publicly-accessible community facilities across Canada.

The program is investing in projects like the retrofit of the Connections Early Years Family Centre in Windsor to make it more accessible and energy efficient, and an upgraded, energy efficient Band Office and daycare facility in Kapawe'no First Nation in Alberta.

• Budget 2024 proposes to provide $500 million over five years, starting in 2024-25, to Infrastructure Canada to support more projects through the Green and Inclusive Community Buildings program.

Investing in Passenger Rail Across Canada

Canadians are increasingly switching to clean transportation options, and taking the train is one of the most environmentally friendly ways to travel across our country. And, taking the train is often the only means of surface transportation for rural, remote, and Indigenous communities such as Churchill, Manitoba; Collins, Ontario; and Schefferville, Quebec.

Budget 2024 proposes to provide:

• $462.4 million over five years, starting in 2024-25, with $120.7 million in remaining amortization, for VIA Rail network operations;
• New funding for VIA Rail to replace its aging fleet on routes outside the Quebec City-Windsor corridor. Funding amounts are not being released to protect the government's negotiating position for an upcoming procurement; and,
• $63.1 million over three years, starting in 2024-25, for Transport Canada to renew the Remote Passenger Rail Program, which supports Indigenous-owned rail operators providing services to communities in Manitoba, Quebec, and Labrador.

Advancing High Frequency Rail

Canada's busiest passenger railway is between Quebec City and Toronto, home to nearly half of Canada's population—and the region is only expected to grow. But increasing congestion and travel delays are making it harder to get between major cities in Ontario and Quebec.

Increasing rail passenger traffic is a key step towards reducing air travel congestion and delays, while also lowering emissions. Rail service must be quicker and more convenient to encourage more Canadians to take the train.

In 2022, the government created a new Crown corporation, VIA HFR-VIA TGF Inc., to lead the development and implementation of a potential high frequency rail project between Quebec City and Toronto. In October 2023, the government launched a request for proposals to further design and develop the potential project, which could be one of the largest Canadian infrastructure projects in generations.

• Budget 2024 announces the government's intent to introduce legislative amendments to make VIA HFR-VIA TGF Inc. an Agent of the Crown, enabling VIA HFR-VIA TGF Inc. to deliver high frequency rail on behalf of the government. 
• Budget 2024 also proposes to provide $371.8 million over six years, starting in 2024-25, to VIA HFR-VIA TGF Inc. and Infrastructure Canada to advance design and development of high frequency rail.

The government will release further details on high frequency rail upon the completion of the request for proposals.

Small Craft Harbours

From the Atlantic shores of Newfoundland and Labrador to the Arctic Ocean in Nunavut to the Pacific coast of British Columbia, small craft harbours are at the heart of Canada's coastal communities. They are vital to fish harvesters from coast to coast to coast, and support tourism and safe access to our waterways for everyone.

Many harbours are in need of repairs, both because of regular wear and tear, and due to the extreme weather events that are becoming more frequent and severe with climate change. For instance, harbours across Atlantic Canada and Eastern Quebec suffered significant damage from Hurricane Fiona in 2022.

• Budget 2024 proposes to provide $463.3 million over three years, starting in 2024-25, on a cash basis, to Fisheries and Oceans Canada to repair and maintain small craft harbours, including those damaged by Hurricane Fiona. This investment will support local economic development for generations to come, particularly benefitting Canadians working in the fisheries, aquaculture, tourism, construction, and marine engineering sectors.

Reliable Transportation in Atlantic Canada

Being able to travel easily is important for communities, and important for keeping our economy moving. This is true no more so than in Atlantic Canada, where many communities and businesses rely on bridges and ferry services for transportation.

The federal government supports key transportation services in Atlantic Canada through Marine Atlantic Inc., a Crown corporation that provides ferry service between Newfoundland and Labrador and Nova Scotia, and the Ferry Services Contribution Program, which funds ferry service between New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island, and Eastern Quebec. The federal government is also responsible for the Confederation Bridge connecting Prince Edward Island and New Brunswick, which is managed through an agreement with a third-party bridge operator.

Through Budget 2024, the government is taking action to ensure that these services can reliably and affordably connect Atlantic Canadians and their communities. Budget 2024 proposes to provide:

• $124.1 million over five years, starting in 2024-25, with $32.9 million in remaining amortization, to Marine Atlantic Inc. to support its continued operations and keep fares affordable;
• $2.5 million over two years, starting in 2024-25, to Transport Canada to freeze fares under the Ferry Services Contribution Program until December 2025; and,
• $13.7 million over two years, starting in 2024-25, to Transport Canada to negotiate a continued toll freeze on the Confederation Bridge in 2025 and 2026.

Find out more about the expected gender and diversity impacts for each measure in section 5.4 Infrastructure for Growing Communities

Page details

Numbers, Facts and Trends Shaping Your World

Read our research on:

Full Topic List

Regions & Countries

• Publications
• Our Methods
• Short Reads
• Tools & Resources

Read Our Research On:

What we know about unauthorized immigrants living in the U.S.

The unauthorized immigrant population in the United States reached 10.5 million in 2021, according to new Pew Research Center estimates. That was a modest increase over 2019 but nearly identical to 2017.

The number of unauthorized immigrants living in the U.S. in 2021 remained below its peak of 12.2 million in 2007. It was about the same size as in 2004 and lower than every year from 2005 to 2015.

The new estimates do not reflect changes that have occurred since apprehensions and expulsions of migrants along the U.S.-Mexico border started increasing in March 2021 . Migrant encounters at the border have since reached historic highs .

Pew Research Center undertook this research to understand ongoing changes in the size and characteristics of the unauthorized immigrant population in the United States. The Center has published estimates of the U.S. unauthorized immigrant population for more than two decades. The estimates presented in this research are the Center’s latest, adding new and updated annual estimates for 2017 through 2021.

Center estimates of the unauthorized immigrant population use a “residual method.” It is similar to methods used by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s Office of Immigration Statistics and nongovernmental organizations, including the Center for Migration Studies and the Migration Policy Institute . Those organizations’ estimates are generally consistent with ours. Our estimates also align with official U.S. data sources, including birth records, school enrollment figures and tax data, as well as Mexican censuses and surveys.

Our “residual” method for estimating the nation’s unauthorized immigrant population includes these steps:

• Estimate the total number of immigrants living in the country in a particular year using data from U.S. censuses and government surveys such as the American Community Survey and the Current Population Survey.
• Estimate the number of immigrants living in the U.S. legally using official counts of immigrant and refugee admissions together with other demographic data (for example, death and out-migration rates).
• Subtract our estimate of lawful immigrants from our estimate of the total immigrant population . This provides an initial estimate of the unauthorized immigrant population .

Our final estimate of the U.S. unauthorized immigrant population, as well as estimates for lawful immigrants, includes an upward adjustment. We do this because censuses and surveys tend to miss some people . Undercounts for immigrants, especially unauthorized immigrants, tend to be higher than for other groups. (Our 1990 estimate comes from work by Robert Warren and John Robert Warren; details can be found here .)

The term “unauthorized immigrant” reflects standard and customary usage by many academic researchers and policy analysts. The U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s Office of Immigration Statistics also generally uses it. The term means the same thing as undocumented immigrants, illegal immigrants and illegal aliens.

For more details on how we produced our estimates, read the Methodology section of our November 2018 report on unauthorized immigrants.

The unauthorized immigrant population includes any immigrants not in the following groups:

• Immigrants admitted for lawful residence (i.e., green card admissions)
• People admitted formally as refugees
• People granted asylum
• Former unauthorized immigrants granted legal residence under the 1985 Immigration Reform and Control Act
• Immigrants admitted under any of categories 1-4 who have become naturalized U.S. citizens
• Individuals admitted as lawful temporary residents under specific visa categories

Read the Methodology section of our November 2018 report on unauthorized immigrants for more details.

Pew Research Center’s estimate of unauthorized immigrants includes more than 2 million immigrants who have temporary permission to be in the United States. (Some also have permission to work in the country.) These immigrants account for about 20% of our national estimate of 10.5 million unauthorized immigrants for 2021.

Although these immigrants have permission to be in the country, they could be subject to deportation if government policy changes. Other organizations and the federal government also include these immigrants in their estimates of the U.S. unauthorized immigrant population.

Immigrants can receive temporary permission to be in the U.S. through the following ways:

Temporary Protected Status (TPS)

In 2021, there were about 500,000 unauthorized immigrants with Temporary Protected Status . This status provides protection from removal or deportation to individuals who cannot safely return to their country because of civil unrest, violence or natural disaster.

Deferred Enforced Departure (DED) is a similar program that grants protection from removal. The number of immigrants with DED is much smaller than the number with TPS.

Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA)

Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals is a program that offers protection from deportation to individuals who were brought to the U.S. as children before June 15, 2007. As of the end of 2021, there were slightly more than 600,000 DACA beneficiaries , largely immigrants from Mexico.

Asylum applicants

Individuals who have applied for asylum but are awaiting a ruling are not legal residents yet but cannot be deported. There are two types of asylum claims, defensive and affirmative .

Defensive asylum applications are generally filed by individuals facing deportation or removal from the U.S. These are processed by the Department of Justice’s Executive Office for Immigration Review. At the end of 2021, there were almost 600,000 applications pending.

Affirmative asylum claims are made by individuals already in the U.S. who are not in the process of being deported or removed. These claims are handled by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS). At the end of 2021, more than 400,000 applications for affirmative asylum were pending, some covering more than one applicant.

Here are key findings about how the U.S. unauthorized immigrant population changed from 2017 to 2021:

• The most common country of birth for unauthorized immigrants is Mexico. However, the population of unauthorized immigrants from Mexico dropped by 900,000 from 2017 to 2021 , to 4.1 million.
• There were increases in unauthorized immigrants from nearly every other region of the world – Central America, the Caribbean, South America, Asia, Europe and sub-Saharan Africa.
• Among U.S. states, only Florida and Washington saw increases to their unauthorized immigrant populations , while California and Nevada saw decreases. In all other states, unauthorized immigrant populations were unchanged.
• 4.6% of U.S. workers in 2021 were unauthorized immigrants , virtually identical to the share in 2017.

Trends in the U.S. immigrant population

The U.S. foreign-born population was 14.1% of the nation’s population in 2021. That was very slightly higher than in the last five years but below the record high of 14.8% in 1890.

As of 2021, the nation’s 10.5 million unauthorized immigrants represented about 3% of the total U.S. population and 22% of the foreign-born population. These shares were among the lowest since the 1990s.

Between 2007 and 2021, the unauthorized immigrant population decreased by 1.75 million, or 14%.

Meanwhile, the lawful immigrant population grew by more than 8 million, a 29% increase, and the number of naturalized U.S. citizens grew by 49%. In 2021, naturalized citizens accounted for about half (49%) of all immigrants in the country.

Where unauthorized immigrants come from

Unauthorized immigrants living in the U.S. come from many parts of the world, with Mexico being the most common origin country.

The origin countries for unauthorized immigrants have changed since the population peaked in 2007, before the Great Recession slowed immigration. Here are some highlights of those changes:

The number of unauthorized immigrants from Mexico living in the U.S. (4.1 million in 2021) was the lowest since the 1990s. Mexico accounted for 39% of the nation’s unauthorized immigrants in 2021, by far the smallest share on record .

The decrease in unauthorized immigrants from Mexico reflects several factors:

• A broader decline in migration from Mexico to the U.S.
• Mexican immigrants to the U.S. continuing to return to Mexico
• Expanded opportunities for lawful immigration from Mexico and other countries, especially for temporary agricultural workers.

The rest of the world

The total number of unauthorized immigrants in the U.S. from countries other than Mexico has grown rapidly. In 2021, this population was 6.4 million, up by 900,000 from 2017.

Almost every region in the world had a notable increase in the number of unauthorized immigrants in the U.S. from 2007 to 2021. The largest increases were from Central America (240,000) and South and East Asia (180,000).

After Mexico, the countries of origin with the largest unauthorized immigrant populations in the U.S. in 2021 were:

• El Salvador (800,000)
• India (725,000)
• Guatemala (700,000)
• Honduras (525,000)

India, Guatemala and Honduras all saw increases from 2017.

The Northern Triangle

Three Central American countries – El Salvador, Honduras and Guatemala – together represented 2.0 million unauthorized immigrants in the U.S. in 2021, or almost 20% of the total. The unauthorized immigrant population from the Northern Triangle grew by about 250,000 from 2017 and about 700,000 from 2007.

Other origin countries

Venezuela was the country of birth for 190,000 U.S. unauthorized immigrants in 2021. This population saw particularly fast growth, from 130,000 in 2017 and 55,000 in 2007.

Among countries with the largest numbers of U.S. unauthorized immigrants, India, Brazil, Canada and former Soviet Union countries all experienced growth from 2017 to 2021.

Some origin countries with significant unauthorized immigrant populations showed no change, notably China (375,000) and the Dominican Republic (230,000).

Detailed table: Unauthorized immigrant population by region and selected country of birth (and margins of error), 1990-2021 (Excel)

U.S. states of residence of unauthorized immigrants

The unauthorized immigrant population in most U.S. states stayed steady from 2017 to 2021. However, four states saw significant changes:

• Florida (+80,000)
• Washington (+60,000)
• California (-150,000)
• Nevada (-25,000)

States with the most unauthorized immigrants

The six states with the largest unauthorized immigrant populations in 2021 were:

• California (1.9 million)
• Texas (1.6 million)
• Florida (900,000)
• New York (600,000)
• New Jersey (450,000)
• Illinois (400,000)

These states have consistently had the most unauthorized immigrants since 1990 and earlier .

At the same time, the unauthorized immigrant population has become less geographically concentrated. In 2021, these six states were home to 56% of the nation’s unauthorized immigrants, down from 80% in 1990.

Detailed table: Unauthorized immigrant population for states (and margins of error), 1990-2021 (Excel)

Detailed table: Unauthorized immigrants and characteristics for states, 2021 (Excel)

Unauthorized immigrants in the labor force

The share of unauthorized immigrants in the U.S. workforce was slightly less than 5% in 2021, compared with 3% of the total U.S. population.

Demographics help explain the difference: The unauthorized immigrant population includes relatively few children or elderly adults, groups that tend not to be in the labor force.

Overall, about 7.8 million unauthorized immigrants were in the U.S. labor force in 2021. That was up slightly from 2019 but smaller than every year from 2007 through 2015.

Detailed table: Unauthorized immigrants in the labor force for states, 2021 (Excel)

Here are some additional findings about unauthorized immigrants as a share of the workforce nationwide and in certain states:

• Since 2003, unauthorized immigrants have made up 4.4% to 5.4% of all U.S. workers, a relatively narrow range.
• Fewer than 1% of workers in Maine, Montana, Vermont and West Virginia in 2021 were unauthorized immigrants.
• Nevada (9%) and Texas (8%) had the highest shares of unauthorized immigrants in the workforce.
• Immigrant Populations
• Immigration Issues
• Unauthorized Immigration

Key facts about Asian Americans living in poverty

Latinos’ views on the migrant situation at the u.s.-mexico border, key facts about the nation’s 47.9 million black americans, key facts about the wealth of immigrant households during the covid-19 pandemic, 8 facts about recent latino immigrants to the u.s., most popular.

1615 L St. NW, Suite 800 Washington, DC 20036 USA (+1) 202-419-4300 | Main (+1) 202-857-8562 | Fax (+1) 202-419-4372 |  Media Inquiries

Research Topics

• Age & Generations
• Coronavirus (COVID-19)
• Economy & Work
• Family & Relationships
• Gender & LGBTQ
• Immigration & Migration
• International Affairs
• Internet & Technology
• Methodological Research
• News Habits & Media
• Non-U.S. Governments
• Other Topics
• Politics & Policy
• Race & Ethnicity
• Email Newsletters

ABOUT PEW RESEARCH CENTER  Pew Research Center is a nonpartisan fact tank that informs the public about the issues, attitudes and trends shaping the world. It conducts public opinion polling, demographic research, media content analysis and other empirical social science research. Pew Research Center does not take policy positions. It is a subsidiary of  The Pew Charitable Trusts .

Copyright 2024 Pew Research Center

Terms & Conditions

Privacy Policy

Cookie Settings

Reprints, Permissions & Use Policy

Language selection

• Français fr

Minister of Tourism celebrates Canada’s tourism businesses during National Tourism Week 2024

From: Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada

The Honourable Soraya Martinez Ferrada, Minister of Tourism and Minister responsible for the Economic Development Agency of Canada for the Regions of Quebec, made the following statement to mark National Tourism Week 2024

April 15, 2024 – Ottawa, Ontario

The Honourable Soraya Martinez Ferrada, Minister of Tourism and Minister responsible for the Economic Development Agency of Canada for the Regions of Quebec, made the following statement to mark National Tourism Week 2024:

“On behalf of the Government of Canada, I want to wish all Canadians a happy National Tourism Week!

“Canada is a tourism superpower. We have majestic mountains, dynamic downtowns, friendly folks and so much more. We have what the world wants!

“National Tourism Week is a chance to celebrate the faces and places that make our country so special, including the millions of Canadians who work in tourism.

“This year’s theme is Canada: Powered by Tourism , and it’s not hard to see why. Tourism is a pillar of our economy, helping employ nearly one in ten Canadians and generating billions of dollars every year!

“The people in our tourism sector are more than workers: they are ambassadors for Canada. They are often the first Canadians that a visitor meets when they arrive, and the last ones they see before heading home. The industry is a leader in hiring women, newcomers and young people—even the Prime Minister had one of his first jobs in tourism!

“Tourism is also about pride—the pride of sharing your home with the world.

“Our government is here for Canadian tourism. Guided by our Federal Tourism Growth Strategy , we want to help the industry reach its full potential, invest in Indigenous tourism and overcome challenges so tourism can thrive.

“Tourism has incredible potential, and we’re seizing it. Our goal is to increase the sector’s contribution to Canada’s GDP by 40% by 2030, to $61 billion. This means roughly 85,000 more jobs stemming directly from tourism.

“It’s about more than statistics, however. It’s about Canada taking its place as a tourism superstar. That’s why we’re supporting businesses through the Tourism Growth Program , a $108 million investment in tourism businesses across the country.

“Indigenous tourism has the power to advance reconciliation while creating opportunities across Canada. Through initiatives such as the Indigenous Tourism Fund , we’re partnering with communities and leaders to seize these opportunities.

“Of course, tourism is not without challenges, and we’re working with the industry to overcome them. We’re helping businesses attract and retain more staff. We’re improving transportation and housing. We’re also addressing climate change, an existential threat to Canadian tourism.

“This week, I’m inviting you to discover the attractions that make your community and country so special. Tourism is powerful because it creates connections, finds common ground and brings people together—and we need that now more than ever.

“Happy National Tourism Week!”

Marie-Justine Torres Press Secretary Office of the Minister of Tourism and Minister responsible for the Economic Development Agency of Canada for the Regions of Quebec 613-327-5918 [email protected]

Media Relations Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada [email protected]

Stay connected

Follow Canadian Tourism on social media. X (Twitter):  @cdntourism

Follow Canada Business on social media. X (Twitter):  @canadabusiness | Facebook:  Canada Business

Page details