(Ottawa) Passports claimed in Montreal will be printed in Gatineau to reduce pressure at the Service Canada office in Complexe Guy-Favreau. Families, Jobs and Social Development Minister Karina Gould is also promising that everyone in line today will receive an appointment coupon.
Posted at 3:20 p.m.
“Passport offices are not built to have hundreds of urgent applications every day,” she acknowledged before question period on Thursday.
The two largest passport processing centers in Gatineau and Mississauga have superior printing capacity. Passports printed in Gatineau will then be transported to Montreal, which is about 200 kilometers away.
“Hopefully it will take the pressure off,” she said.
The government has asked ten managers to inform people who continue to line up at Complexe Guy-Favreau. The minister said they had spoken to more than 200 people by 10 a.m. Thursday morning and must remain there until midnight to take the time to brief each person.
“Everyone will receive a coupon with an appointment,” she assured, specifying that it would be today.
Further details will follow.