Blair ‘very confident’ federal vaccine passport coming by U.S. border reopening on Nov. 8

"I'm very confident...we will have in place, for a number of Canadian travelers, that (COVID vaccine) certificate by that date," Blair said of the the Nov. 8 U.S. border reopening.

Public Safety Minister Bill Blair says he’s ‘very confident’ that Canadians will have a national vaccine passport in place by the time the U.S. border reopens for non-essential travel on Nov. 8.

While Blair said he always tries to “overperform and under-promise,” he noted that work on the federal proof of COVID-19 vaccination system has been progressing “very, very well.”

“I’m very confident…that we will have in place, for a number of Canadian travellers, that certificate by that date,” he said, responding to The West Block guest host Abigail Bimman’s question about whether the passport will be available by the newly-set reopening date.

The White House confirmed on Friday that on Nov. 8, non-essential travellers crossing land borders from Canada or Mexico will be asked about their vaccination status. Only those who are fully vaccinated will be allowed through, and proof of vaccination will be required if selected for random screening.

The announcement prompted questions from Canadians about when they might expect the federal government’s promised nationwide vaccine certificate.

Speaking to Bimman in the interview, Blair acknowledged there are “still some other contingencies that need to be addressed,” but added that everyone involved in building the federal vaccine passport system recognizes the “importance” of getting it up and running.

“There’s still some work that’s being done with our provincial partners, where the data is actually resident, and to make sure that that’s available to Canadians right across the country,” he said, “but some real progress has been made.”

“I’m very confident that in the coming weeks, we will be introducing those certificates.”