Government Relations Report Ron Steeves First Vice-President In my last report, I notified readers that Canadian citizens travelling to certain European countries will soon be required to obtain a permit known as a European Travel Information and Authorisation System (ETIAS) travel authorization. An ETIAS travel authorization is an entry requirement for visa-exempt nationals travelling to 30 European countries. When the ETIAS travel authorization becomes officially required, it will allow Canadian travellers to enter the territory of these 30 European countries as often as they want for short-term stays – normally for up to 90 days in any 180-day period. The ETIAS travel authorization will be linked to a traveller’s passport and will be valid for a three-year period, or until the passport expires, whichever comes first. When you obtain a new passport, you will be required to apply for a new ETIAS travel authorization. The authorization is issued only to one person and is linked to their travel document. Other individuals, including family members, will be required to have their own ETIAS travel authorizations. More detailed information about the ETIAS program can be found on the official European Union website, travel-europe.europa.eu/etias_en. Please beware of third-party websites, which claim to offer expedited authorizations, and ensure that you are using only official government websites. The ETIAS program was initially scheduled to launch next year, but European officials have recently announced that it is expected to be rolled out in mid-2025. In October, eu-LISA – the agency responsible for the digital system – reported that it needs additional time for implementation. The Canadian Snowbird Association (CSA) is carefully monitoring the progress of this program and will notify members as soon as new information is made available. In Canada, the association’s core issues are featured in our Canadian Travellers’ Report Card, the latest edition of which is available on our website, www.snowbirds.org. Our Report Card is the basis for our domestic advocacy platform federally, provincially and territorially. One of the key issues on which CSA representatives are currently focused is improving access to prescription medications for travellers. Some provincial drug programs – such as British Columbia’s PharmaCare – impose limits on the supply of prescription medications which are covered for vacation purposes. We believe that travellers should have access to a vacation supply of medication at least equal to the amount of time that they are permitted to be outside of their home province and still retain their health benefits. CSA representatives also continue to work on raising reimbursement rates for out-of-country emergency services. The requirement under the Canada Health Act to ensure that Canadians get the same access to emergency health services outside of Canada as they do in Canada is still being largely ignored by most provinces. For residents of Alberta, Saskatchewan and Quebec, the maximum rate paid for out-of-country hospital in-patient care is $100 per day. For residents of British Columbia, the rate is capped at $75 per day. These violations of the Canada Health Act remain commonplace across the country and result in inflated private travel medical insurance costs for Canadian travellers. It is our hope that our advocacy efforts will once again bring this issue to the forefront, and we will continue to work towards attaining the emergency health services that travelling Canadians expect, need and deserve. As Judy and I are stepping down from active volunteerism on the CSA board of directors at our annual meeting in January, we want to offer a very sincere thank you to all of our members who so faithfully supported and assisted us. Thank you, too, to each of the provincial picnic volunteer co-ordinators in Florida – where we annually set up our CSA tent – and we are encouraged to share the latest news and accomplishments of our great organization. Judy and I were so proud! It has also been a real pleasure working with the CSA staff and directors, as well as with the Medipac travel insurance professionals; what a great team! I have been asked to continue assisting and offering training when required – as director emeritus – so I still hope to see you in our travels. We wish the same enjoyable experience to Debra Ann MacLean, the new incoming Atlantic Canada director from Nova Scotia. THANK YOU, ALL! CSANews | WINTER 2023 | 11
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