Alaska lawmakers call Canada’s cruise ban extension ‘unacceptable’

The Alaska congressional delegation — Sens. Lisa Murkowski and Dan Sullivan and Rep. Don Young — called on the Canadian government to reconsider its decision to extend its cruise ban for another year.

“Canada’s announcement to ban all cruise sailings carrying 100 people or more traveling through Canadian waters, without so much as a courtesy conversation with the Alaska Delegation, is not only unexpected, it is unacceptable and was certainly not a decision made with any consideration for Alaskans or our economy,” the delegation said in a statement.  “We expect more from our Canadian allies.”

The three-person, all-Republican delegation said that it had reached out to Canadian and American government agencies “to try to understand the rationale behind this decision particularly the duration of the ban. We are exploring all potential avenues, including changing existing laws, to ensure the cruise industry in Alaska resumes operations as soon as it is safe. We will fight to find a path forward.”

The Alaska Travel Industry Association (ATIA) said it is working with Alaska’s congressional delegation “on brainstorming solutions to safely resume cruising operations” and “seeks possible changes to complicated federal regulations, such as a temporary waiver to the Passenger Vessel Services Act of 1886, that would allow cruise ships to sail between U.S. ports without stopping in Canada.”

“Because the industry is supported almost exclusively by out-of-state and international visitors, Alaska is highly susceptible to national and international affairs,” ATIA said in a statement. “Transport Canada’s continuation of prohibiting cruise vessels in Canadian waters until Feb. 28, 2022, further threatens Alaska’s already fragile tourism industry, predominately made up of small businesses Promoting safe travel to Alaska can help generate much needed economic activity for tourism business owners, their employees and communities across Alaska.”

According to CLIA Alaska, more than 1.4 million people on 43 ships had been projected to spend $793 million in 2020. A report published in October by the Federal Maritime Commission found that Alaska had suffered a revenue loss from the lack of cruising last year greater than any other state on a per capita basis.

“If a ship does not call, especially at some of the smaller cruise-focused ports in Alaska, people do not make money,” said commissioner Louis Sola. “If there is no cruise ship in port, there is no work for the longshoremen. If there is no cruise ship in port, no one is shopping in local businesses or eating in local restaurants. If there is no cruise ship in port, landside tour companies have no clients. In many places in Alaska, the cruise business is the local industry.”