44th Parl. 1st Sess.
May 20, 2022 10:00AM
- May/20/22 12:02:02 p.m.
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Madam Speaker, it is too bad that answer is not actually helping Canadians.
Last week I questioned the minister about Kristen from Hinton, who, after waiting over two months, ended up having to pay express service to get her three sons' passports. The minister replied that if a person submits all required passport documents and Service Canada is outside of service standards, the client should not be paying extra fees.
Will the minister confirm that Kristen and others who paid extra fees will receive a refund and no Canadian will pay extra fees due to the minister's incompetence?
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- May/20/22 12:11:49 p.m.
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Madam Speaker, Immigration Canada’s annual “Fees Report” notes that just 19% of passports were processed within the required timelines, and this audit was well before the current surge and delays. At the same time, 88% of executives at Immigration Canada received hefty performance bonuses.
Does the minister believe failing Canadians applying for passports 81% of the time warrants performance bonuses?
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- May/20/22 12:12:23 p.m.
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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.
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- May/20/22 12:12:59 p.m.
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Madam Speaker, the government was failing 81% of the time before the current surge.
The Service Fees Act requires government to develop service standards for government services that charge fees, such as for passports. It also requires the government to refund such fees if such standards are not met, under the directive on charging and special financial authorities.
The government has not been meeting its standard for passport application services, as we know, for well over 80% of people. Therefore, is the government refunding these Canadians, as is required under law?
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- May/20/22 12:13:37 p.m.
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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.
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- May/20/22 12:22:00 p.m.
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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.
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- May/20/22 12:28:02 p.m.
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Madam Speaker, with the House's permission, I would like to table the Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada “Fees Report” audit, which shows that just 19% of passports are being done in the standard time, not the 98% the minister claimed today.
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