Petition e-3757 in the Canadian House of Commons - Allow Antigen Testing for re-entry to Canada

[GStuart]

Was doing some random googling to see if there was any signs of movement on the PCR return testing front for travel to Canada and stumbled across this petition put forth by MP Melissa Lantsman. Since I thought it may be of interest to my fellow Canadian cruisers, I thought I would share.

 

https://petitions.ourcommons.ca/en/Petition/Details?Petition=e-3757

[kdr69]

I signed it thanks for link

[waiting2retire]

I also signed. Regardless of whether it will make a difference, it makes me feel good to at least try. 

[bookbabe]

Me too

 

Thanks

[Britchip]

I signed too. Thanks for link

[Barb1963]

Thanks I signed it too

[A&L_Ont]

Signed and shared with friends who travel. 

[thon]

My DW and I have both signed it, although I am wary of signing online petitions going by past experience. Awhile ago I signed an online petition to protect some sort of animal - wolves or tadpoles or something - and suddenly ended up on the Ontario NDP mailing list!  So if I start getting messages from the Conservative Party of Canada I’ll know how they got my particulars. But it’s usually pretty easy to unsubscribe to such things.

[pixiedust777]

signed.

Antigen test is so much easier!

[broberts]

While I don't understand the reasons behind requiring a PCR test, it does strike me as a bit presumptuous to demand a change simply because it is cheaper.

[waiting2retire]

12 minutes ago, broberts said:

While I don't understand the reasons behind requiring a PCR test, it does strike me as a bit presumptuous to demand a change simply because it is cheaper.

I don’t care about the cost. I am requesting, not demanding, the change because the rapid antigen tests are far more easily accessible to the general public and less uncomfortable.

 

It also lessens the chance that I might have unknowingly had Covid at some point over the past few months and test positive on a PCR test long after I was ever infectious. That would also entail a long and costly and unnecessary out-of-country quarantine. I would expect quarantine requirements to remain in place with a positive rapid antigen test because I would be infectious at the time of the test. 

Edited January 22, 2022 by waiting2retire

[broberts]

1 hour ago, waiting2retire said:

I don’t care about the cost. I am requesting, not demanding, the change because the rapid antigen tests are far more easily accessible to the general public and less uncomfortable.

 

It also lessens the chance that I might have unknowingly had Covid at some point over the past few months and test positive on a PCR test long after I was ever infectious. That would also entail a long and costly and unnecessary out-of-country quarantine. I would expect quarantine requirements to remain in place with a positive rapid antigen test because I would be infectious at the time of the test. 

 

To summarize, you want an antigen test because it will be easier for you to do something the public health professionals have cautioned against.

[Welly9]

3 hours ago, thon said:

My DW and I have both signed it, although I am wary of signing online petitions going by past experience. Awhile ago I signed an online petition to protect some sort of animal - wolves or tadpoles or something - and suddenly ended up on the Ontario NDP mailing list!  So if I start getting messages from the Conservative Party of Canada I’ll know how they got my particulars. But it’s usually pretty easy to unsubscribe to such things.

lol ouch not much worse then getting phantom emails from the NDP...well hang on it could be coming from those Liberals...thats worse! 🤣

[Welly9]

Signed thanks, 

[GStuart]

8 hours ago, broberts said:

While I don't understand the reasons behind requiring a PCR test, it does strike me as a bit presumptuous to demand a change simply because it is cheaper.

 

I know the petition makes the argument for cost as being a driver for why an antigen test is preferred but personally I'm not really concerned about the financial cost. The time cost is my biggest concern.

 

Let me pay for my own RT-LAMP molecular test where I can get my result in minutes, the gov't is even welcome to the test specimen so they can do the sequencing they stated the arrival testing was meant to provide.

 

6 hours ago, broberts said:

 

To summarize, you want an antigen test because it will be easier for you to do something the public health professionals have cautioned against.

I know this wasn't directed at me, but I wanted to address this. There is just as much (quite likely more) exposure to COVID currently in Sask than most of the places I would like to travel to. The travel advisories made sense at the beginning of the wave, considering the uncertainty we were facing and the thinking that we could somehow stop the variant from gaining a foothold in Canada. Our governments (and our health care advisors) need to adapt the policies as the situation with the virus changes. The risk to the health care system from travel cannot be significantly worse than the community transmission we already have. Sequencing for new variants is a different matter, but experts have already been quite clear that this can be accomplished with screening that does not require quarantine.

Edited January 23, 2022 by GStuart
Spelling/grammar

[broberts]

10 minutes ago, GStuart said:

 

I know the petition makes the argument for cost as being a driver for why an antigen test is preferred but personally I'm not really concerned about the financial cost. The time cost is my biggest concern.

 

Let me pay for my own RT-LAMP molecular test where I can get my result in minutes, the gov't is even welcome to the test specimen so they can do the sequencing they stated the arrival testing was meant to provide.

 

I know this wasn't directed at me, but I wanted to address this. There is just as much (quite likely more) exposure to COVID currently in Sask than most of the places I would like to travel to. The travel advisories made sense at the beginning of the wave, considering the uncertainty we were facing and the thinking that we could somehow stop the variant from gaining a foothold in Canada. Our governments (and our health care advisors) need to adapt the policies as the situation with the virus changes. The risk to the health care system from travel cannot be significantly worse than the community transmission we already have. Sequencing for new variants is a different matter, but experts have already been quite clear that this can be accomplished with screening that does not require quarantine.

 

I wonder why we even bother to hire community health officers when there are so many experts that believe they know far more. Why do we bother forcing epidemiologists to spend many years of formal education when apparently it is not needed? 🙄

[waiting2retire]

7 hours ago, broberts said:

 

To summarize, you want an antigen test because it will be easier for you to do something the public health professionals have cautioned against.

Short answer, yes. 
 

For the past two years, I have followed every single restriction, guideline, and caution from all levels of government and public health professionals. During that time, my mother passed away (not Covid-related), my 3 year old granddaughter spent over a year in the hospital waiting for a heart transplant (which she received in October) while I waited as backup caregiver for her brother, and my daughter worked as a registered nurse in the local hospital throughout all versions of Covid. 
 

While I respect the guidance of our public health professionals, my daughter and I are ready to put our mental health first and take a much-needed vacation while taking all necessary precautions (testing, masking, isolating if required) to keep ourselves and those around us safe. 
 

So please don’t Covid-shame me for making my own considered decision. 
 

 

[Welly9]

10 hours ago, waiting2retire said:

Short answer, yes. 
 

For the past two years, I have followed every single restriction, guideline, and caution from all levels of government and public health professionals. During that time, my mother passed away (not Covid-related), my 3 year old granddaughter spent over a year in the hospital waiting for a heart transplant (which she received in October) while I waited as backup caregiver for her brother, and my daughter worked as a registered nurse in the local hospital throughout all versions of Covid. 
 

While I respect the guidance of our public health professionals, my daughter and I are ready to put our mental health first and take a much-needed vacation while taking all necessary precautions (testing, masking, isolating if required) to keep ourselves and those around us safe. 
 

So please don’t Covid-shame me for making my own considered decision. 
 

 

Good for you, and enjoy! 

[GStuart]

11 hours ago, broberts said:

 

I wonder why we even bother to hire community health officers when there are so many experts that believe they know far more. Why do we bother forcing epidemiologists to spend many years of formal education when apparently it is not needed? 🙄

Tam has already stated that the arrival testing doesn’t make sense any longer. My belief that the testing no longer serves the same role as originally intended is not an opinion I arrived at by myself without listening to many of the experts you are referring to. You’re making quite a few assumptions about what my opinion is based on. I did not claim to be an expert, although you’ve certainly made the assumption that I have in this post.

 

Suffice it to say we disagree. Would it be too much to ask that you avoid “shaming” those who share an opinion different than your own?

 

[broberts]

1 hour ago, GStuart said:

 

Suffice it to say we disagree. Would it be too much to ask that you avoid “shaming” those who share an opinion different than your own?

 

I'm not trying to "shame" anyone, merely stating my perspective. That some construe contrary opinions as attempts at shaming is just sad. In any case, I'm sure we have tested the moderators patience so I won't respond further.

[iancal]

Waste of time.

 

Fortunately knowledgeable health professionals will make the call. 

 

Thankfully not people whose apparent public health expertise runs to signing the petition.

 

From a political perspective you only have to read the various polls on  current voter attitudes to covid, vaccines, and public policy  to understand that this is going nowhere fast. 

 

 It does however raise the hope of some obscure politician getting a 10 second blurb on the back end of the  six o'clock news.

Edited January 24, 2022 by iancal

[GrannyGear]

On 1/22/2022 at 5:02 PM, broberts said:

 

To summarize, you want an antigen test because it will be easier for you to do something the public health professionals have cautioned against.

Oh, a went to the grocery store with my wife the other day, that was against their guidance. Need I go on.....

[A&L_Ont]

2 hours ago, iancal said:

Fortunately knowledgeable health professionals will make the call. 

Too bad the same officials didn’t take a strict approach in January of 2020 VS waiting until March. 

Edited January 24, 2022 by A&L_Ont

[bcwife76]

Signed. And shared. And ignoring the misery guts in this post.

[Welly9]

11 hours ago, bcwife76 said:

Signed. And shared. And ignoring the misery guts in this post.

Misery yes, I call it dribble from the audience who want to be herded and not understand the real Economic failure here and real health issues that are abroad. If you are part of that herd, you haven't been paying attention!