Conservatives Questions ArriveCAN Delays US Power Crew in Support of Nova Scotia After Storm Fiona

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The Conservative Party has brought a report to the House of Commons from Nova Scotia Power (NSP) that the government’s ArriveCAN requirement has prevented U.S. power crews from entering Canada to assist in recovery from Tropical Storm Fiona. did.

In a statement to global newsthe NSP said there were “problems related to ArriveCAN” that they “may not be able to provide help across the border” after a historic post-tropical storm left devastation in the Canadian Atlantic. caused concern among U.S. crew members.

“When we heard from our crew that there was a border issue, we reached out to state officials to see if we could get any help,” said Jacqueline Foster, NSP’s senior communications adviser, in a statement. said and added: The problem was resolved after a few hours.

“We knew we could reach out to the appropriate federal officials. Within hours, the crew was moving to assist the Nova Scotians.”

Opposition members submitted this report during the meeting House Minutes On Sept. 26, it pointed to conflicting statements made by ministers about whether federal mobile apps caused delays for U.S. aircrew.

“Nova Scotia Power reported that the ArriveCAN app wasted valuable time blocking American crew members who were trying to rush to the state to assist in the recovery response,” said Conservative leader Pierre. Polivre said.

“Initially, the Minister of Public Security denied it had happened, only to contradict the Minister of Emergency Preparedness, who said there were in fact problems at the border.”

In response, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau reiterated that there was no delay.

“Everyone was focused on getting aid to the affected areas as quickly as possible,” Trudeau said. “I can confirm … there have been no delays at any border, either due to ArriveCAN or otherwise.”

Ministers announced Sept. 26 that an order to force travelers entering Canada to use the ArriveCAN app will expire at the end of the month to ensure travelers can report their COVID-19 vaccination status. First introduced in , the app has been mandatory at Canadian borders since February 2021.

Epoch Times photo
A person holding a smartphone set to the start screen of the ArriveCan app. This is required to declare immunization status in order to enter Canada. (Giordano Ciampini/Canadian Press)

Prime Minister Trudeau reiterated claims that there were “no delays” caused by the mobile app after Conservative MP Pierre-Paul Husse called for the ArriveCAN app to stop using the app immediately, with the expiry date brought forward. .

Public Safety Minister Marco Mendicino later backed Trudeau’s remarks, stating that the prime minister was “perfectly correct to say there were no delays due to ArriveCAN.”

Contradiction

Nova Scotia and Maine, USA have Memorandum This allows us to provide mutual assistance in managing emergencies and natural disasters.

Nova Scotia Prime Minister Tim Houston’s office told Global News on Sept. 25 that the ArriveCAN app had caused delays in the arrival of U.S. power companies.

“I know there have been situations where some crew members in Maine were having trouble at the border,” Houston told reporters at a news conference that morning.

“We noticed it and alerted the federal government. My understanding is that it was dealt with fairly quickly. But… there was a problem to begin with.”

However, a spokesperson for Public Security Minister Marco Mendicino also denied there had been any problems at the border, stating that the Canadian Border Services Agency (CBSA) said, “There is no record of such a situation occurring at any port of entry into Canada. No,’ he said. news reported.

“This false narrative likely stems from a misunderstanding,” said Alex Cohen, citing CBSA officers both at the regional level and at each border crossing to ensure that the U.S. Power Corps would provide assistance across the border. He added that he was instructed to accelerate the process of offering.

Meanwhile, when asked about ArriveCAN causing hours of delays for U.S. crews, Emergency Preparedness Minister Bill Blair said, “I have been informed that there are concerns about it,” adding that “something The matter was resolved before any action was taken,” he added.

“We all know that CBSA and public safety officials, all federal agencies, were working to get this done. I am Press conference.

Blair told reporters when further asked if there were “no delays at all”, he said he was not at the border and declined to comment on specific details.

Post-Tropical Storm Fiona made landfall in Nova Scotia early on September 24th. Hundreds of thousands of people in eastern Canada lost power due to high winds and heavy rain brought by the storm.

there is roughly 7,700 active outagesnearly 166,000 customers of Nova Scotia Power were affected as of 5:30 PM EDT on September 26th.

Andrew Chen

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Andrew Chen is a reporter for the Epoch Times based in Toronto.

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