Ahead of her visit to Point Roberts on Friday, Congresswoman Suzan DelBene (WA-01) spoke with Ambassador Arnold Chacon, Charge d’Affaires at the U.S. embassy in Ottawa about the ongoing negotiations around the Canada-U.S. border closure.
DelBene underscored that Americans living in the isolated exclave need a special travel exemption so they can drive the short distance through Canada to reach the rest of the United States to see family, visit the doctor, and buy essentials.
She also urged American diplomats to quickly develop a plan to safely reopen the border with quantifiable deadlines and metrics.
Additionally, DelBene pushed for the U.S. to re-open the Boundary Bay Border Crossing in Point Roberts to fully vaccinated Canadians, and relayed the offer from the Point Roberts community to help test and vaccinate Canadians who travel there.
The Congresswoman was grateful for Chacon’s time and looks forward to working with him and other American and Canadian officials to resolve this pressing issue. DelBene recently spoke with Ambassador Kirsten Hillman, Canada’s ambassador to the U.S., about these issues.
Washington State Gov. Jay Inslee is also scheduled to visit Point Roberts on Friday. He recently announced $100,000 in funding from the state strategic fund would go to the community’s lone grocery store, International Marketplace, to ensure food security.
