Shaheen Celebrates Opening of U.S.-Canada Border

(Washington, DC) – U.S. Senator Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH) released the following statement welcoming the official opening of the U.S.-Canada border today to vaccinated Canadians. Senator Shaheen has spearheaded efforts to reopen the border to vaccinated Canadians, including through a recent letter to President Biden and several virtual meetings and roundtables.

“Today is a great day for New Hampshire and our nation as we finally welcome vaccinated Canadians back to the United States. The border’s closure since the pandemic began put serious strain on businesses and families across the Granite State, which is why I spent months working with the administration to push for the safe opening,” said Shaheen. “I’m pleased we can begin uniting families and opening the doors to local tourism and commerce today. I’ll keep working to make sure our communities become whole again as we recover from the COVID crisis.”

Since March 2020, travel across the two nations’ border has been severely restricted by the COVID-19 pandemic, resulting in significant disruptions to New Hampshire communities, businesses and families. In light of progress in COVID-19 vaccinations in both countries, Canada opened its border to vaccinated Americans in August.

Senator Shaheen has been a vocal advocate for safely and fully reopening the U.S.-Canada border. Last month, Shaheen led a letter to President Biden urging his administration to allow vaccinated Canadians to travel to the U.S. through land ports of entry. In August, Shaheen hosted a virtual meeting with the delegation and representatives from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, the Canadian Consul General in Boston and numerous Granite State industry representatives, on re-opening the U.S.-Canada border to vaccinated Canadians. That roundtable followed an event Shaheen hosted in July with New Hampshire stakeholders and Canadian Consul General Rodger Cuzner on how the border closure has affected border communities and Granite State businesses and residents. In June, Shaheen questioned Secretary of State Tony Blinken on the status of efforts to reopen the two nations’ border.

###