Ottawa says it’s making progress on Canadian airport congestion and passport backlogs in Toronto, Vancouver and Montreal. This week, Transport Minister Omar Alghabra met once again with the CEOs of the Greater Toronto Airports Authority and WestJet. They discussed current and planned actions being taken by industry to quickly bring on more employees and to bolster core operations to better respond to the challenges of rapidly increasing demands as the number of Canadians travelling by air continues to grow. Minister Alghabra will also meet next week with the CEO of Air Canada. The Government of Canada and air industry partners Read more
passports
The minister in charge of Canadian passports says she’s deeply concerned about wait times. She also says she has ordered more work to be done. “I am deeply concerned about the delivery of passport services to Canadians, and the difficult and stressful situation too many Canadians are facing in getting passports in time for their travel plans,” Karina Gould, Minister of Families, Children and Social Development, said in a statement today (June 23). “Improving this service is a top priority for the Government of Canada. “I share the frustration of Canadians and want to reiterate that these lineups, waits and Read more
The Trudeau government says it’s working overtime to solve passport logjams for Canadians. Airport congestion has hogged most of the headlines, but Canadians eager to travel also have been waiting in long, long lineups for passports or passport renewals. Karina Gould, Minister of Children, Families and Social Development, issued the following statement today: “After two years of travel restrictions, Canada and many other countries around the world are seeing a significant surge in demand for passports. As is the case in many countries, the size and suddenness of this surge has created delays for Canadians in getting the passport services Read more
The Canadian government said it’s doing its best to cope with a spike in demand for passports and long passport processing times. “With pandemic restrictions easing around the world, interest in travel is growing among Canadians, and demand for new or renewed passports is growing along with it,” officials in the Trudeau government said today. “Service Canada is experiencing increases in passport processing times, and is responding by prioritizing those travelling imminently and ensuring that those with less urgent needs can access the right service channels for them. “Service Canada’s ability to serve Canadians swiftly was affected by the unprecedented Read more
As COVID–19 restrictions are lifted and more and more Canadians look to travel abroad, the government of Canada says it’s making it easier to renew your passport. The Honourable Sean Fraser, Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship, and the Honourable Karina Gould, Minister of Families, Children and Social Development, today announced the expansion of the simplified renewal application process for Canadian passports. Beginning today, March 31, Canadians in Canada and abroad can now use the simplified process to renew an expired passport as long as it was issued within the last 15 years. The Trudeau government said the simplified process Read more
