TORONTO — Transport Minister Omar Alghabra is set to make an announcement today “related to Canada’s cruise ship industry”, according to the heads-up from Transport Canada.
Minister Alghabra will be joined by BC’s Minister of Transportation and Infrastructure, Rob Fleming.
The announcement is scheduled for 1:30 p.m. EDT and will take place in Victoria, B.C.
In February 2021 Minister Alghabra extended Canada’s ban on large cruise ships until Feb. 28, 2022.
The ban applies to:
- Adventure-seeking pleasure craft, which are prohibited from entering Arctic waters.
- Passenger vessels carrying more than 12 people, prohibited from entering Arctic coastal waters, including Nunatsiavut, Nunavik, and the Labrador Coast.
- Cruise vessels carrying 100 or more people, prohibited from operating in Canadian waters.
Large cruise ships sailing Alaska itineraries, a boon for cities including Vancouver and Victoria as well as countless small businesses with a stake in the Alaska cruise industry, are so far scheduled to bypass Canadian ports for the summer 2021 season, in the wake of the Alaska Tourism Restoration Act, passed in May 2021.
