Feds say provinces will issue 'standardized' proof of vaccination for travel

Instead of issuing a singular federal national COVID-19 vaccine passport, the federal government says that each province and territory will be responsible for issuing a 'standardized pan-Canadian' vaccine passport that Canadians can use when travelling abroad. Each province's system is supposed to have a 'common' look and feel, with the expectation that by next month all Canadians will have access.

The proposed system means that, as is currently the case, provincial vaccine proof apps or paperwork will continue to be the main way that Canadians will have to show their vaccination status.

Each province’s system will have a “common” look and feel, including containing the passport-holder's name and date of birth, information on the vaccines they have received – which types, how many doses, and when they were administered, as well as a QR code.

The federal government is promising to promote this system internationally, so that border agencies, organizations, and businesses across the globe will be able to recognize and rely on these passports as Canadian documents because of the placement of a “Canada” word-mark in the upper-right-hand corner.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland are announcing the details of their plans at a press conference in Ottawa following a briefing by departmental officials from Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship, the Public Health Agency of Canada, Transport Canada, Indigenous Services Canada, and Canada Border Services Agency.