QUESTION PERIOD — Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship
Passport Services
June 21, 2022
Honourable senators, my question is for the government leader in the Senate. Senator Gold, on Monday morning, police were once again called to the Service Canada office in Montreal, in the suburb of Laval. Hundreds of Canadians who had lined up to receive a passport were told to leave. Many of them had been there since Saturday, leader.
Yesterday, leader, you told us the government’s focus is on ensuring anyone who has travel planned within 25 business days is given priority for service. Last Friday, Minister Gould’s parliamentary secretary said Service Canada agents were going through the lines to accommodate those with immediate travel within two business days, leader. Yesterday morning in Laval, people were told they would be helped if they had travel booked within 24 hours, despite a sign on the office door saying they could be helped if their departure was planned in the next 24 to 48 hours.
There are three or four different times there, leader. Which information is correct?
The short answer is, Senator Plett — and thank you for your question — there clearly is inconsistent information being provided both, as you described, at the site in Laval and, perhaps, elsewhere. The information I have was the answer that I gave you the other day, and that’s the only information I have.
It is a deplorable situation. I will try to find out, to the best of my ability, what’s happening in that particular centre. It is a busy one, but it is not the only one that is plagued with problems. I’ll do my best to sort it out if I can.
Hopefully, the minister can give you the correct information.
Our passport system, leader, is in utter chaos. No one in the Trudeau government knows how to fix it, and each day it seems to get worse. I hate to think what will happen next week when most schools close for the summer and more families start travelling. As I said yesterday, over 18,000 Service Canada employees who process passports still work from home as a pandemic precaution.
The insistence of this Trudeau government to prolong the pandemic as long as possible while the rest of Canada, and indeed the rest of the world, has moved on means the government can’t keep pace with its citizens.
Fewer than 48,000 passports were issued last week, leader. The average before the pandemic was more than 90,000 passports per week — almost double.
Leader, a written answer tabled in the House of Commons states that as of May 12, 2022, 249 Service Canada employees were on leave in relation to the vaccine requirement.
How many of these workers process passports, Senator Gold, and are they now back at their jobs?
I will certainly make inquiries as to the specific question with which you ended your comments.
Again, I will repeat: This is an unacceptable situation. The government is doing what it can. It is devoting the resources it has to resolve it. One hopes that the situation will improve such that Canadians can travel abroad, or receive their passports for whatever purposes they need them, as quickly as possible.
