Canada Border Guards Vote to Strike Days Ahead of Reopening to US Tourists

Canada Border Guards Vote to Strike Days Ahead of Reopening to US Tourists
A U.S. Customs and Protection vehicle stands beside a sign reading that the border is closed to non-essential traffic at the Canada-U.S. border crossing at the Thousand Islands Bridge in Lansdowne, Ontario, Canada, on Sept. 28, 2020. Lars Hagberg/Reuters
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VANCOUVER—Canadian border guards and customs officials voted Tuesday to go on strike just days before fully vaccinated U.S. citizens and permanent residents will be allowed into Canada, unions representing the workers said, a move that could potentially cause disruptions and hurt businesses emerging out of the pandemic-driven economic downturn.

A strike would slow down commercial traffic at the land border, the unions said, as well as impact international mail and collection of duties and taxes. But a spokesperson for the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) said 90 percent of the front-line border services officers have been identified as “essential,” and will continue to work in the event of a strike.