If you are planning a trip out of Canada, do you have your passport?
A renewed interest in travel post-pandemic has prompted backlogs in the application process.
Families Minister Karina Gould advises Canadians to have a passport before they book a trip.
“Always is the best advice to make sure you have your passport in hand, but I understand these are exceptional times. People are excited to travel again and so I understand where this is coming from and we are doing everything we can to solve the situation,” said Gould.
Questions surrounding passports were raised this week after lineups and overnight campouts outside of Service Canada locations in Montreal.
“One of the big differences is pre-pandemic only about five per cent of the passport applications were urgent. Right now, we’re at about 50 per cent of passport applications that are urgent. Even in Montreal, about 50 per cent are people who have travel plans and didn’t make the applications,” said Gould.
Line-ups have also been reported at other Service Canada offices across the country with waiting times of more than five hours.
Hundreds of passport workers were reportedly hired earlier this year, and there are plans to hire even more in an effort to reduce the backlog.
