SoVote

Decentralized Democracy

House Hansard - 76

44th Parl. 1st Sess.
May 20, 2022 10:00AM
Context: House Hansard - 76 - May/20/22
Hon. Karina Gould (Minister of Families, Children and Social Development, Lib.)
  • May/20/22 11:49:43 a.m.
  • Watch
Madam Speaker, I would like to thank my colleague for his question. We understand Canadians' frustrations at this time. We have been receiving an unprecedented number of passport applications, and we are responding. We are in a transition period. We are hoping to emerge from the pandemic. We understand that we must put in place the resources required to meet demand, and we will keep these measures in place.
69 words
  • Hear!
  • Rabble!
  • star_border
Context: House Hansard - 76 - May/20/22
Hon. Karina Gould (Minister of Families, Children and Social Development, Lib.)
  • May/20/22 12:02:37 p.m.
  • Watch
Madam Speaker, as I said last week, that is correct. No Canadian should be paying extra fees if they have submitted all the correct documents and everything is in order with their application, and if their application is not processed within the processing times. If that is in fact the case, there is a refund process. I would be happy to follow up with the member opposite to share with him how he can share that with his constituents, but it is also available on the Government of Canada's website.
91 words
  • Hear!
  • Rabble!
  • star_border
Context: House Hansard - 76 - May/20/22
Hon. Karina Gould (Minister of Families, Children and Social Development, Lib.)
  • May/20/22 12:12:23 p.m.
  • Watch
Madam Speaker, as I said, we recognize that Canadians are experiencing frustration right now with the incredible surge in demand when it comes to passports. We are experiencing unprecedented demand, the likes of which we have not seen since 2006, because over the past two years Canadians followed public health advice. They stayed home and did their part to keep themselves and their loved ones safe. We are working around the clock at Service Canada, including on evenings and weekends. We have added over 600 additional staff at this point to ensure that we can meet those processing times in a timely manner.
103 words
  • Hear!
  • Rabble!
  • star_border
Context: House Hansard - 76 - May/20/22
Hon. Karina Gould (Minister of Families, Children and Social Development, Lib.)
  • May/20/22 12:13:37 p.m.
  • Watch
Madam Speaker, for in-person passport services, we are meeting standards about 98% of the time. These are within 10 days. It is the mail-in option that is experiencing delays. We continue to work around the clock. Previous to the pandemic, the majority of passports were processed in person as opposed to the mail-in option. This has now shifted, so we are adjusting and shifting resources as necessary, but we will continue to examine and do everything we can to make sure that we are delivering these services in a timely manner for Canadians.
96 words
  • Hear!
  • Rabble!
  • star_border
Context: House Hansard - 76 - May/20/22
Hon. Karina Gould (Minister of Families, Children and Social Development, Lib.)
  • May/20/22 12:22:00 p.m.
  • Watch
Madam Speaker, there is a huge demand for passports at this point in time. I understand the situation that Kristie is in. I would invite the member opposite, and any members opposite if they also have urgent cases, to please get in touch with my office. We are happy to help them ensure that Canadians get their passports on time. As I have explained recently, prepandemic the majority of passport delivery issuance was happening in Service Canada offices. That has switched to mail-ins. We are addressing this issue and allocating resources as necessary.
94 words
  • Hear!
  • Rabble!
  • star_border