Ottawa has moved to seal Canada’s borders against the Ebola outbreak ravaging central Africa, suspending immigration documents from the Democratic Republic of Congo, Uganda, and South Sudan for at least 90 days — a sweeping measure framed as “abundance of caution” ahead of the FIFA World Cup, which Canada is co-hosting this summer.
Federal officials announced that as of Wednesday at 11:59 p.m., permanent residence visas, temporary residence visas, electronic travel authorizations, study permits, and work permits for citizens of the three countries will be paused. The action marks the first use of new powers under Bill C-12, the immigration overhaul law passed in March, which allows Ottawa to mass-suspend or cancel visas during public health emergencies.
“It will take one case — one, not two — and everybody will say we didn’t protect Canadians,” Health Minister Marjorie Michel said at a Tuesday press conference, rejecting criticism from WHO officials who warned against making travel rules based on fear rather than science.
Michel also cited the need to align with the United States and Mexico as the World Cup approaches. Canada is set to host 13 matches in Toronto and Vancouver beginning in June. The tournament, the largest in FIFA history, brings together dozens of nations and is expected to draw hundreds of thousands of visitors to North America.
Starting May 30, additional Quarantine Act measures will take effect. All travellers who have been in the three impacted countries in the previous 21 days must undergo a health assessment upon arrival. Those with symptoms will be hospitalized. Everyone else must self-isolate for 21 days. The government says isolation facilities will be ready by Saturday, though officials declined to disclose locations for security reasons.
The DRC is facing a fast-spreading Ebola strain with no effective vaccine. The World Health Organization has warned the outbreak poses a “very high risk” domestically and is growing increasingly likely to spill across borders. Canadian officials maintain the direct risk to Canadians remains low.
The measures are drawing fire from public health experts. “The message we should be sending out to the world is that Canada is a partner that will take science seriously,” said Roojin Habibi, research director of global health law at the Global Strategy Lab at York University. She also expressed concern for those caught mid-process in Canada’s immigration system, saying the suspensions leave many people in limbo without clear recourse.
Applications already inside Canada will continue to be processed, and anyone mid-travel when the Wednesday deadline hits will be exempt from the suspension. The measures are set to remain in place until at least August 29, coinciding with the end of the World Cup group stage.