Dear MP Peter Fonseca, MP Gagan Sikand, MP Navdeep Bains, MP Omar Alghabra,
MP Iqra Khalid, and MP Sven Spengemann,
Thank you for your ongoing support and collaboration throughout the COVID-19 pandemic. We
are writing to you today on behalf of our constituents in the six Mississauga ridings. As you know,
Ontario is in the midst of a third wave caused largely by variants of concern, that entered our
borders earlier this year.
Recently, Ontario confirmed 36 cases of the B.1617 variant first identified in India. These cases
were associated with international travel. This is extremely concerning for our constituents in
Mississauga, many of whom have seen on the news the devastating impacts of this variant in India
and other countries.
Ontario has also seen thousands of confirmed cases of the P.1, B.1.1.7 and B.1.351 variants.
Variants of concern now make up approximately 70% of daily new cases in Ontario. They are
more easily transmissible and deadly, and continue to have a devastating impact on our hospitals
and Intensive Care Units.
These COVID-19 variants arrived in Ontario through our airports and border crossings. Since last
year, our government has been calling for strengthened measures to prevent these deadly variants
from entering the province, so we can protect Ontarians. The people of Mississauga require
immediate leadership from our federal government to prevent this crisis from getting worse.
Earlier this week, your government announced a ban on direct flights from India and Pakistan.
While we welcome this step, it does not address the severity of the crisis we are facing.
We, the six Members of Provincial Parliament representing Mississauga, request our federal
counterparts immediately:
1. Close the borders and ban all non-essential travel.
2. Close the loophole that allows travellers to enter at land borders and avoid quarantining at
authorized government hotels.
Ontario PC Caucus
LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY
As you know, Mississauga is home to Pearson International Airport, the busiest airport in
Canada. This last week alone, nearly 10,000 foreign national travellers entered through this
airport. In the past week, 22 international flights have landed at Pearson with possible COVID19 exposures. These numbers are staggering and should be a wakeup call that further action is
needed. Additionally, nearly 80,000 people – not including essential commercial truckers – have
crossed Canada’s land borders in the last week alone.
Our government has stepped up and taken action to protect our borders, an area that is a federal
responsibility. We were the first jurisdiction in Canada to bring in mandatory COVID-19 airport
testing. Further, we issued an Emergency Order restricting travel into Ontario through land and
water crossings from Manitoba and Quebec. However, we need immediate support from the
federal government to secure our international borders.
The people of Mississauga, many of whom are essential workers, have made sacrifices every day
throughout this pandemic. It is only right that all levels of government do everything in their power
to limit the spread of this deadly virus and protect the health and safety of all citizens.
We urgently ask that your government act, ban all non-essential travel, and close the land border
loophole, to prevent this crisis from getting worse.
