As of November 1, 2021, cruise ships will be allowed to enter Canada as long as they comply with the Canadian government’s public health guidelines.

This announcement was made today by Canada’s transport minister Omar Alghabra.

On February 4, 2021, Canada announced it was suspending cruise ship and Arctic pleasure craft into the country until February 28, 2022. The purpose of the ban was to protect Canadians from COVID-19.

Given that Canada’s coronavirus situation has improved, the Government of Canada is lifting the ban earlier than expected to assist the country’s hard-hit tourism sector.

By lifting the restrictions in November, the government aims to give the country’s tourism industry a boost leading up to the 2022 cruise season. It notes that the cruise ship industry contributes $4 billion annually to the Canadian economy and supports approximately 30,000 jobs.

Canada has been easing its coronavirus travel restrictions gradually since they were first implemented in March 2020. It still has restrictions in place which expire on July 21. At the moment, non-essential travellers (e.g., tourists) remain unable to enter Canada. The Canada-U.S. border also remains closed to non-essential travel and flights from India are banned.

Cruise ship travellers need to keep in mind they may be deemed inadmissible and denied entry into Canada if they have a criminal record. It is necessary to address any criminal inadmissibility issues you may have before booking a cruise tour that involves entering Canadian waters.