Backlogs in Canada’s passport system are prompting some individuals to find loopholes that allow them to renew or obtain a new passport without an extended wait period, says the minister overseeing passport services.
Liberal MP Karina Gould, the minister of families, children, and social development, told CTV News that she has heard anecdotally of people booking flights—without having a valid passport—and using the imminent travel plans as an excuse for passport services to prioritize their applications.
“That is not something we’ve heard happening across the board, but of course, if it is, I discourage it entirely, because it exacerbates an already overwhelmed system,” Gould said in the report published Aug. 16.
“I’d be very disappointed if someone decided to do that, because it’s very unfair to people who have done all the right things.”
Millions of Canadians have been seeking new passports or renewals since the federal government dropped various COVID-19 travel restrictions in the spring.
The government says it has received over 1 million passport applications since the beginning of 2022, yet it has only been able to issue about 740,000. In April and May, the systems were so backlogged that passport applications outnumbered the amount processed by over 240,000.
“Canadians should be able to obtain a new or renewed passport in a timely manner. I remain seized with resolving this unacceptable situation as quickly as possible,” said Gould in a July statement.
Service Canada says it has faced “a range of interconnected issues” left over from the pandemic that are slowing down passport waiting lists. Among these are increased application volumes and more mail-in applications, “which take more time to process,” says Service Canada.
“Applications submitted by mail are being processed within 10 weeks, plus mailing time,” it said.
In July, the federal government almost doubled its original forecast of annual passport applications from an estimated 2.4 million to 4.3 million.
The government also says that passport service workers have put in more than 50,000 overtime hours since the week of June 20 in an effort to catch up on the backlogs.
Despite their extended hours, passport services are still failing to keep up with applications on a weekly basis.
During the week of July 25 to July 31, the government received over 57,000 applications but only processed around 47,000. From Aug. 1 to Aug. 7, passport services fell behind by another 5,000 applications.
Conservative MP Laila Goodridge, shadow minister of families, said in a June statement that Gould has shown “incompetence” in attempting to resolve the passport delays.
“It is not good enough for the Minister to share ‘the frustration of Canadians,’ when she is the Minister responsible for the long lines at Service Canada offices,” said Goodridge. “It is not enough to say that ‘improving this service is a top priority for the Government of Canada,’ when action should have been done months ago.”
Gould said in the statement that “almost 150” new staff were being trained for Canadian passport services. Currently, the total number of passport service employees is just over 1,900.
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Peter Wilson is a reporter based in Ontario, Canada.
Canadians Faking Travel Plans to Skip Passport Application Lines, Says Minister & Latest News Update
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