‘Not open borders; we just want to be together:’ Loved ones separated by pandemic appeal to be reunited

This year is almost ending, but the wounds inflicted by the global pandemic continue to bleed. People are trying various ways to heal, but this crisis cut so deep that it is difficult to move an inch. Things for every individual right now have become extra challenging to do than usual like going to other places fearing that they might catch the virus, making ends meet, getting basic necessities, accessing quality education, and even being with their loved ones.

During these uncertain times, one of the important things that many are asking for, aside from this pandemic to end, is to be able to stay or be with their loved ones. It can ease the worries, knowing that they are safe. Unfortunately, because of restrictions imposed in a bid to flatten the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) curve, not all are lucky to have this chance.

Dr. David Edward-Ooi Poon, a 34-year-old doctor in Canada, is in a committed relationship with a 24-year-old nurse, Alexandria Aquino, who is in Ireland. Although they are in a long-distance relationship, they make sure that they find time to cross borders and see each other. Whenever they meet, the couple always stays at each other’s places and for this reason, David listed Alexandria as a tenant in a document he submitted to the management of a condominium in Canada where he owns a unit. The document contains the name of the unit owner and the people who live there.

Earlier this year, David decided to fly to Ireland to be with Alexandria and her family. They spent time with each other until the unprecedented pandemic happened, prompting Canada and other countries to temporarily close their doors to prevent further transmission of the deadly virus.

Prior to leaving Ireland, David and Alexandria were told that common-law partners could enter the Canadian borders and so they looked up in the internet its definition and found that in order for them to be deemed as common-law partners, they should live together for at least a year with no more than three months break which they did not have. But just to be sure that both of them can come into Canada, they communicated with the Canadian Border Services Agency (CBSA), Canadian Embassy in Dublin, Canadian Embassy in London, as well as airlines. With all their documentation and the assurance that Alexandria could cross the borders, David bid goodbye to his partner, not knowing that obstacles and disappointments are waiting on their way as they try to meet again in Canada.

In an attempt to follow David, Alexandria made it to Berlin in April but was immediately blocked there because she wasn’t able to present a travel authorization. She then communicated with the Canadian Embassy in Berlin and, thankfully, she was given a piece of paper that showed she’s exempted from the travel restrictions.

Alexandria continued her journey and safely arrived in Canada, carrying all the documents she needed including the travel authorization, a note from a legal counsel as proof that she and David are together, and a negative result of the COVID-19 test.

Despite these proofs, Alexandria was told that she did not qualify as a common-law partner because she has to live with David for one year without any break, and that she has to go back to Ireland in an instant.

Taking a deep breath as he recalled what happened to Alexandria at the airport, David told Philippine Canadian Inquirer (PCI) that he got a phone call from his partner, informing him that she was not permitted to come into Canada.

“I’m shocked, I cannot believe this. She has flown all this way, [spent] thousand dollars [worth] of [a] ticket to get to Toronto, we were told that she can come in and suddenly, she is denied.”

“I was so sad, I was heartbroken. I hear her sadness and it breaks my heart even more. We’re supposed to be spending our lives together, we’re supposed to be working on this worldwide pandemic together, going through it together, being together, but we’re separated.”

David, however, did not lose hope and tried to act on the problem by finding out if they can make an appeal to the border agency, but sadly, the answer was ‘no.’ David also asked Alexandria if there is someone she can talk to regarding the matter, but his partner could not also do anything as authorities were putting her back on the plane.

“This is very bad because what happened was, Alexandria was asked to give to the agent her passport. She walked all the way to the plane as if she had done something wrong, as if she had lied.”

It took a while for David and Alexandria to recover from that incident, saying they were really upset, angry, and unsure of what to do next. Looking at their surroundings and thinking of a way out, the couple found out that they were not the only ones in the same boat, with some of them even in a more desperate position.

David shared the case of an American man who had to go back and forth many times to be with his partner who was about to give birth in Canada. The man tried to cross the Canadian borders two or three times but got rejected each time. On his next attempt, the man brought with him a binder containing all the proofs of his relationship with his Canadian partner and told the border agent that he had to be with his partner’s side when she gives birth to their child. Unlike the authorities he encountered before, the border agent that the man faced this time had compassion and allowed him to enter Canada to welcome his child.

Although this was a success, David could not ignore the wasted efforts of the man to fly to Canada and spend thousands of dollars for a plane ticket multiple times just to get into one destination. He also thought: what if the man never encountered a compassionate border agent and he never got to be with his loved one during the time he was needed the most? And then it hit David and Alexandria.

“The entire process in Canada relies on one border agent. So, it is not necessarily the rules, it’s whatever the border agent interprets as a rule.”

Seeing how unacceptable the situation is for the individuals who wanted to be reunited with their loved ones but are not authorized to do so, David and Alexandria decided to stand up on behalf of these people and launched the group called Advocacy for Family Reunification at the Canadian Border or simply Faces of Advocacy.

‘We just want to be together’

Launched in May, Faces of Advocacy continues to call on the Canadian government to expand their definition of “immediate family members” who are exempted from the prohibition on entry to Canada provided that they do not contract COVID-19.

The group wants the government to include adult children and committed partners like those who are yet to be married, couples who could not declare their relationship in paperwork due to legal reasons, and pairs who don’t get married because of some religious or other reasons.

The immediate family members that the government is referring to in this exemption are spouse or common-law partner, dependent child, a dependent child of the dependent child, parent or step-parent, and guardian or tutor of the Canadians and permanent residents.

David said he and Alexandria are lucky that there is no sickness between them, none of their loved ones is ill, they have no children to take care of, and they still have another time to go and see each other soon. 

However, unlike them, there are people whose loved ones are sick and they could not come in to look after them, or worse, bid goodbye to them for the last time.

To carry out their mission to include those who are left out in the travel exemption, what Faces of Advocacy has been doing is encouraging their more than 6,000 members to call on to their respective government officials by sending them letters every week, intensifying their campaign in social media, and getting media attention to let the Canadian government see “every single voting Canadian family that they have forgotten.” They also filed an official petition in the House of Commons signed by 5,300 Canadians and permanent residents.

“Over the past 13 weeks, we are pushing the government. We are showing the government where they have been wrong.”

The group is not just simply appealing to the government; they even presented a proposal, called the Family Reunification Quarantine Plan, which shows how the government could bring the families together safely.

The plan, formed by David himself with guidance from a Toronto epidemiologist, includes Affidavit of Personal Responsibility, Safe Coverage Provision, Border Point of Care testing Provision, and Family Quarantine Provision.

Under the Affidavit of Personal Responsibility, the Canadians will sign an attestation or a contract that they are the ones who will be legally and financially responsible should their foreign national family member violate public health guidelines.

The government won’t also have to pay for the healthcare of the foreign national, as stated in the Safe Coverage Provision, because it is their Canadian family who will be the one responsible for it unless the foreign national has special insurance to cover their own COVID-19-related healthcare.

In the Border Point of Care Testing Provision, the foreign national will take and pay for the COVID-19 test at the borders just like what international hockey players do to be allowed entry in Canada.

Lastly, the Family Quarantine Provision suggests that the Canadian family will quarantine for two weeks upon reuniting with the foreign national.

“There is no question that COVID-19 is very dangerous and very concerning, but the Canadian government has allowed our hockey players to have a very good quarantine plan to be in Canada. We also want a very good quarantine plan, [so] I wrote a quarantine plan. If it’s not good enough, then let’s make a new one.”

David said the only response they got from the government are typical emails and not a plan on what the officials will do to address their call and a timetable of when they are going to do it. Not getting the answers they are asking for, David took another step and held an official press conference on August 12 at the Parliament Hill, along with six members of the Parliament, to insist action from the government.

“We are not asking for open borders, we are just asking to be together. We are voting Canadians and we demand a plan and a timetable. We are not unreasonable. We will quarantine, we will follow your rules, we will take your tests, so why exactly is there no plan?”

Apart from this, David also urged others to help them boost the voice of Faces of Advocacy by following their social media accounts (Facebook: Faces of Advocacy, Instagram: @facesofadvocacy, and Twitter: @FacesofAdvocacy), liking and sharing their posts to other online communities, and if possible, share their own stories to Faces of Advocacy along with photos. Support from the members of Parliament will help in the group’s advocacy as well, that’s why the group is hoping to gather more of these officials to help in the group’s advocacy.

David added that he does not want to legally challenge the officials, especially during this pandemic, but said they have enough evidence to bring the government to court, noting that they have the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms.

“Under Section 15 of the Charter of Rights and Freedoms, this is discrimination based on family status. It is saying that because you are not married, you cannot come to Canada. It is saying that because you are [an] adult, you cannot come to Canada.”

“I do not want to [do this] so I’m begging the government to give us a timetable and to give us a plan because this is not correct.”

It remains unknown when or will their calls be answered, but one thing’s for sure: Faces of Advocacy will continue to make their voices louder until the government cannot ignore them and every family member barred at the borders will finally be reunited with their loved ones.