Prime Minister Justin Trudeau promises to do more to fix what he calls an “unacceptable” state of affairs in the country’s passport offices that have been flooded in recent days as thousands of Canadians struggle to get the necessary documents before travel abroad.
Speaking to CBC Radio’s The House in an interview on Saturday, Trudeau said he understands that there is a lot of anxiety among potential travelers right now.
“This situation is unacceptable,” he said. “There is a real concern among families who are facing these things and we need to take a step back.”
Pressed by host Chris Hall to say why the situation is so tenuous when it was obvious to most observers that demand for passports would increase with the lifting of COVID-related travel restrictions, Trudeau said the government hired more than 600 passport workers in January and you are ready to hire even more to help you eliminate the backlog.
“There are a lot of disruptions as the world returns to COVID. But that’s why we’re working day and night to make sure people get their passports,” Trudeau said.
“We are processing tens of thousands of them every week. We make sure we are delivering as quickly as possible what people need and expect from their government.”
With slower processing times than usual, many Canadians choose to obtain a passport or replace an expired passport with a face-to-face visit to one of the 35 passport offices across the country that accept applications.
TARGET | Do you need a passport? Expect a long wait:
Anger worsens as passport applicants wait in line for days
Long queues persist at passport offices across the country with desperate applicants waiting days in line. Montreal slightly improved the situation by handing out tickets for appointments, but the prime minister called the delay “unacceptable.”
The government has launched a new online tool to tell people how long they can wait to see an agent process a standard passport application or an “urgent” or “express” application for people traveling. in the near future.
As of Wednesday, waiting times exceeded five hours in many places.
In Ottawa, the website informed applicants that they can wait about seven hours, which means that some people in line will not be seen when the office closes at 4 p.m.
Limited office hours and long lines have forced some travelers to camp overnight to set a time slot when these offices open at 8:30 p.m.
“Pure Anarchy Only”
Frustrated travelers have used Google Maps to convey their grievances through online reviews of passport offices.
“It was a horrible experience! We went to apply for the passport around 7 in the morning and the queue was already too long,” Taghrid Chahine said in a recent post about his experience with Ottawa’s only passport office. .
“I felt bad for the mothers who were with their children waiting for hours and then they didn’t take care of me!”
“Shame on every man, woman and child who created this monstrosity of a system,” said Luke McCutcheon, another Ottawa traveler. “No appointments, no entries when you line up, just pure anarchy.”
“Waiting times are ridiculous. You have to work all day to line up and wait and wait and wait and wait,” said Eireann Aldrich.
“This government is a joke,” said Emma Ayetor, who said she waited all day only to be rejected when the office closed at 4 p.m.
In Montreal on Tuesday, the situation at the passport office of the Guy-Favreau complex became so chaotic that police had to intervene to control the crowd and more than 750 people were queuing for be seen by an agent.
People lined up in front of a Services Canada passport office in Surrey, BC, on Tuesday, May 24, 2022. The Prime Minister described the situation in the country’s passport offices as “unacceptable” and promised that the government would “step up” to fix it. long waiting times. (Ben Nelms / CBC)
“The passport office can handle it,” the minister says
Family Minister Karina Gould, the minister in charge of passport services, said on Wednesday that while there may be problems at some passport offices, others are working well.
“What we’re seeing in other parts of the country are, yes, lines before the passport office opens, but those lines move throughout the day and people are seen,” he told reporters.
“It’s a lot, but the passport office can handle it. They’re stressed, tense, but they can,” he said.
Asked if the federal government had failed Canadians to travel by subjecting them to such long waits, Gould said Ottawa “predicted there would be an increase in demand,” but did not expect so many to arrive. passport applications at the same time.
“What we didn’t anticipate is that all applications would arrive at the same time in March and April, and also that many of the applications would be new applications, not renewals,” Gould said.
He noted that 85% of applications are new, which take longer to process than renewals.
Passport training can take up to 15 weeks
He said they are adding staff, but noted that as passport processing is a sensitive issue with security considerations, the training program for new workers can take up to 15 weeks.
In January, 1,500 employees worked for the passport program.
Security personnel had to intervene at the Guy Canada Favreau Service Canada complex in Montreal on June 21 to deal with the crowds waiting to apply for or renew their passports. (Ivanoh Demers / CBC)
Since then, the government has hired 600 workers and redeployed another 600 former passport officials or other employees, and is actively recruiting 600 more people, according to government data provided to CBC News.
A Gould spokesman said the department has identified 200 federal employees working for Employment and Social Development Canada (ESDC) who can be reassigned to help process passports, and the Canada Tax Agency is also determining whether any of its employees can be assigned to the task.