New day, new rules at Complexe Guy-Favreau where hundreds of people are waiting — outside — to get a passport. On Thursday, instead of allocating coupons for appointments, employees prioritized travelers leaving in less than 24 hours. However, those who have a departure scheduled for Saturday or Sunday find themselves in a bad way on the eve of the public holiday.
Posted at 5:51 p.m.
The new strategy has ratcheted up the tension outside the building in downtown Montreal: people who have been waiting for three days have been overtaken by others who had arrived only hours earlier.
“I’ve been here for two nights and there are people who come six hours before their flight and they pass quickly. I understand, I’m really happy for them, but I would have liked that too, coming just 24 hours before my flight,” says Melissa Matta, who applied for her passport in person last March. He was then told that his travel document would be ready on 1er June, in time for his departure for Peru on Sunday.
Melissa Matta, like the people around her, wonders what to do with their plane tickets (keep them, postpone them, cancel them) especially since Ottawa announced earlier this week that Service Canada officials will have to work the public holidays of 24 June and 1er July. However, the offices will be closed to the general public.
We have been in uncertainty from the start. We don’t know what will happen. We hear rumors that they will be open tomorrow, that they will give appointments, but we don’t know if it’s true […] I would like them to be transparent, to tell us what to expect at this stage of the queue, whether or not we are likely to be able to leave on the weekend.
Melissa Matta
A little further in the line that makes three sides of the imposing building, Marie-Christine Henssen accompanies her sister Cristel. The latter must renew the passport of her son who is supposed to fly away for his very first trip, to Belgium, on Sunday.
“I was not going to leave my sister alone here at night, exclaims Marie-Christine Henssen. It’s no fun at night. Everyone is super nice, but still, I didn’t want to leave her alone in there. »
During the nocturnal thunderstorms, the two women took shelter under a plastic sheet and a large parasol that they had brought. Several “campers” have also installed tarpaulins which they have attached to trees and street furniture. Chemical toilets have also been installed on the sidewalk to allow people to relieve themselves elsewhere than in an alley.
“I wonder if everyone is staying, will that force them to open on Friday? I understand that they are overwhelmed, but there is a lack of respect for the people who wait in these conditions, ”notes Marie-Christine Henssen.
Even if the passport office remains closed for three days, Cristel Henssen is categorical. She will sleep outside the Complex until she gets her son’s passport. ” Certain ! We’re going to sleep here as long as necessary,” she said, still disappointed with the turn of events.
” We have it ! »
On the other side of the Guy-Favreau Complex, Mélanie Dubuc came out of the building triumphant, arms in the air, and very emotional. ” We have it ! “, she said, falling into the arms of her current spouse and her ex, the father of her daughter.
The family trip to Walt Disney, originally scheduled for April 2020, has been postponed to Spring Break. But, the daughter of Mélanie Dubuc tested positive for COVID-19 before their departure. The mother of the family reapplied for a passport for her child in March, because it would have expired before their new departure, scheduled for June 24.
The trio contacted their federal deputy to make sure they had the passport in time for the end of classes. He was the one who confirmed to them that the document would be ready on June 23.
“It was the deputy who sent us here, but we had no official proof, says Mme Dubuc, his eyes still moist. They checked and they let us in. »
As a last resort, the girl’s father was considering crossing the border by land since children 15 and under can present a birth certificate instead of a passport to travel to the United States… and return to Canada.