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Decentralized Democracy

House Hansard - 91

44th Parl. 1st Sess.
June 17, 2022 10:00AM
Context: House Hansard - 91 - Jun/17/22
Mr. Blaine Calkins (Red Deer—Lacombe, CPC)
  • Jun/17/22 11:22:08 a.m.
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Madam Speaker, Canadians continue to have to pay Service Canada for expedited passports, despite the minister assuring this House that this would not be the case. Half the time, they are not even getting the enhanced service they are being forced to pay for. This directive first came out weeks ago, yet it is still not being implemented. If the minister’s department does not respect her enough to follow her directives, how does she ever expect to clear the backlog?
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Context: House Hansard - 91 - Jun/17/22
Ms. Ya'ara Saks (Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Families, Children and Social Development, Lib.)
  • Jun/17/22 11:22:42 a.m.
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Madam Speaker, as the hon. member and many Canadians know, after two years of travel restrictions in this pandemic there is an unprecedented backlog of applications both in Canada and around the world. This has led to delays in processing and issuance, but the minister has been adamant with the department to address the situation and improve service and we continue to do so on a day-to-day basis because the situation is not acceptable. Canadians need their documents. We will keep Canadians informed about additional measures as we take them, and encourage people to plan ahead to ensure they have passports planned before booking. I would like to also emphasize that those who—
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Context: House Hansard - 91 - Jun/17/22
Mr. Eric Duncan (Stormont—Dundas—South Glengarry, CPC)
  • Jun/17/22 11:44:35 a.m.
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Madam Speaker, the chaos at Passport Canada and Service Canada is past being temporary. It is worse than ever. The lawn chair lineups are now starting at 4 a.m., 3 a.m. or 1 a.m. in many cities. Our office alone is handling dozens of transfer requests, each and every day, of people who are going to leave the country in the next day or two and still do not have their passports, despite applying months ago. Each time people call, they are on hold for a minimum of two to three hours. The chaos never had to happen in the first place. Each time the Liberals offer a remedy, we get longer lines and longer phone call delays. Can the Liberals even admit what their actual service standard is now or are they too afraid to tell Canadians?
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Context: House Hansard - 91 - Jun/17/22
Ms. Ya'ara Saks (Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Families, Children and Social Development, Lib.)
  • Jun/17/22 11:45:20 a.m.
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Madam Speaker, since December, Service Canada and our passport agents have been preparing for what we have now. The surge is unprecedented, and we continue to work through the process. Just as an example, 600 new employees have been hired and are on the job. Another 600 employees are in the process of being put into place. Every counter across this country is open. We know there are long lines, and that is why Service Canada agents are going through those lines, checking passports and travel plans and making sure that seniors, those who have children and those who have work times are being accommodated within two business days for immediate travel.
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Context: House Hansard - 91 - Jun/17/22
Ms. Ya'ara Saks (Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Families, Children and Social Development, Lib.)
  • Jun/17/22 11:46:37 a.m.
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Madam Speaker, as I mentioned before, additional processing facilities have been opened and initial staff have been hired, but this is not unprecedented, just here in Canada. It is around the world. Wait times in countries like Australia, the U.K. and elsewhere are anywhere between nine and 11 weeks for expedited passports. Here, we are meeting the challenge for Canadians, both in the lines and in our application process, to make sure that those who have immediate travel needs are being addressed so they can get on their way.
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