On Friday, Transport Minister Omar Alghabra defended the government’s ArriveCAN application, saying that despite allegations from customs officials, airlines, airports, and border communities, it does not pose an obstacle to travel: "There is absolutely no evidence that ArriveCAN causes any problems," he said to MPs in the joint transport committee. Alghabra also added that while there are still problems, air travel is improving and becoming more reliable by collecting vaccination information in advance, as ArriveCAN speeds up the process.

He said: "There are those who have an interest in beautifying reality and undermining trust in our aviation sector just to score political points, whereas ArriveCAN actually helps process arrivals faster and helps reduce congestion."

For her part, Conservative MP Melissa Lantsman said the government must remove the application and do more to improve travel in the country, highlighting long wait times, delays, and cancellations, especially at major airports. She added: "We know Pearson and Montreal ranked first and second among the worst airports in the world, and this is an international embarrassment. Does the Minister think the government bears any responsibility in any way for what happened this summer?"

Alghabra defended his position saying the huge increase in travel was the main driver of air travel problems, noting that flights in Canada have risen by more than 250 percent since January, compared to only a 63 percent increase in the United States. The increase came with an industry lacking people.

The minister added: "I have been consistent since May, labor shortages are the root cause of airport congestion, as we suffer from labor shortages at airports, labor shortages in airlines, and labor shortages in other agencies."

On the other hand, Conservative MP Tony Baldinelli, who represents Niagara Falls, argued that Canada should follow other countries and remove vaccination requirements and eliminate ArriveCAN at the same time.