Albertans can't yet use Canada's vaccine passport system for international travel
Alberta’s current proof of vaccination system does not yet meet the national standards announced by Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on Thursday, but is expected to before the holiday season.
Canada’s certificate will be a federal document issued by provinces and territories, who hold resident health data.
According to Ottawa, the system will ensure the proof of vaccination issued by each jurisdiction has a “common” look and feel and is easily recognized and validated during international travel.
It’s expected that by November, all provinces and territories’ vaccine passports will meet the national standards so Canadians can travel during the holiday season without issue.
“All provinces and territories have agreed to a national standard that will be an accepted proof of vaccination for destinations around the world,” Trudeau said Thursday.
“It is correct that not every province has yet delivered on that, but I know they are all working very quickly and should have resolved that in the weeks to come, certainly in time for people starting to travel again as we ease off some of those travel restrictions.”
While Alberta has its own system, it does not yet meet the federal standards.
Steve Buick, spokesperson for Alberta’s health minister, told CTV News Edmonton the province is working closely with Ottawa on a new QR code for international travel.
“Provinces will retain the records of their respective residents. Albertans’ data will not be shared with the federal government or with other provincial governments,” Buick said.
He promised Albertans would be able access an internationally recognized QR code by the end of next month, and said they could continue using their existing proof of vaccination.
The systems brought in by Newfoundland and Labrador, Nova Scotia, Ontario, Quebec, Saskatchewan, Yukon, Nunavut, and the Northwest Territories are all already compatible.
The standards Canada is following use the SMART Health Card format recognized by the International Standards Organization and tech companies like Apple and Android.
The passports will have verification measures to prevent falsification and can be used with the ArriveCan app when Canadians return from abroad.
The federal government said it is working with border security services and the countries most visited by Canadians to ensure officials there easily recognize, read and validate Canada’s passport.
With files from CTV News.ca’s Rachel Aiello
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
NEW What Canada is doing about the toxic forever chemicals in drinking water
As the United States sets its first national limits on toxic forever chemicals in drinking water, researchers say Canada is lagging when it comes to regulations.
Arrest made, manslaughter charge pending in 2022 death of Calgary toddler
Calgary police have arrested a man and a charge is pending in connection with the death of a toddler in 2022.
Prince William returns to public duties after wife Kate's cancer revelation
Prince William will return to public duties on Thursday for the first time since his wife Kate revealed she was undergoing preventative chemotherapy for cancer.
'A living nightmare': Winnipeg woman sentenced following campaign of harassment against man after online date
A Winnipeg woman was sentenced to house arrest after a single date with a man she met online culminated in her harassing him for years, and spurred false allegations which resulted in the innocent man being arrested three times.
Where did the gold go? Crime expert weighs in on unfolding Pearson Airport heist investigation
Almost 7,000 bars of pure gold were stolen from Pearson International Airport exactly one year ago during an elaborate heist, but so far only a tiny fraction of that stolen loot has been found.
Why drivers in Eastern Canada could see big gas price spikes, and other Canadians won't
Drivers in Eastern Canada face a big increase in gas prices because of various factors, especially the higher cost of the summer blend, industry analysts say.
'They needed people inside Air Canada:' Police announce arrests in Pearson gold heist
Police say one former and one current employee of Air Canada are among the nine suspects that are facing charges in connection with the gold heist at Pearson International Airport last year.
House admonishes ArriveCan contractor in rare parliamentary show of power
MPs enacted an extraordinary, rarely used parliamentary power on Wednesday, summonsing an ArriveCan contractor to appear before the House of Commons where he was admonished publicly and forced to provide answers to the questions MPs said he'd previously evaded.
Here's why experts don't think cloud seeding played a role in Dubai's downpour
Scientists say it's highly unlikely cloud seeding is responsible for the heavy rains that have caused flooding in the United Arab Emirates this month, and that climate change is the more likely culprit.