Passport applications | Offices open by appointment on public holidays

(Ottawa) Service Canada employees will be working on the statutory holidays of June 24 and March 1^er July to renew pending passports, but the offices will not be open to the general public, contrary to what the minister’s parliamentary secretary Karina Gould suggested on Monday. The Minister’s office provided this clarification in the evening.

Mylene Crete
The Press

“Service Canada staff will be working overtime processing passports and serving clients for urgent processing by appointment only during these holiday weekends,” said Minister Gould’s spokesperson, Mohammad Hussain.

“However, Service Canada Centers and specialized passport sites will not be open to the general public on June 24 or June 1.^er July, as they usually would be during the week,” he added.

The government wants to avoid long queues in front of the offices which will only be open during these two long weekends for urgent appointments on a case-by-case basis and for the printing of passports.

New procedures are needed

Officials are now selecting from lines outside Service Canada offices people who need their travel document within 48 hours to give them an urgent appointment, said the minister’s spokesperson. Those traveling in three or more days receive a shorter meeting date.

Hounded by the Conservative Party and the Bloc Québécois during question period on Monday, Parliamentary Secretary Ya’ara Saks indicated twice rather than once that public servants were going to work during these two long weekends.

“For the long weekends of June 24 and 1^er July, the employees will work to ensure that Canadians receive their documents,” she answered a question from Bloc Québécois MP Alain Therrien about the opening hours of passport offices.

The Press reported Friday that people camping outside a Service Canada office in Laval had been evicted by the police.

He called for Service Canada offices to be open “seven days a week”. “The minister’s incompetence has reached unprecedented heights,” he denounced. When are they going to stop improvising and open offices evenings and weekends until the crisis is finally resolved? »

M^me Saks replied that the employees “have been working overtime and all weekends” before adding that they will also be working the next two long weekends.

Families, Children and Social Development Minister Karina Gould was not in the chamber on Monday. She was visiting a passport processing center in Mississauga, Ont., to see what could be improved, her parliamentary secretary said.

She pointed out that 600 additional employees have been hired since September and that 600 more should be hired shortly. Officials managed to process 10% more requests last week than in previous ones.

Loss of efficiency

The lifting of health measures has prompted more people to travel after two years of the pandemic. People line up in front of Service Canada offices and sometimes spend the night there trying to renew their passport in extremis before leaving on their trip. Some have to cancel or postpone their departure altogether because they cannot obtain the precious document.

“We must authorize the return to work of face-to-face employees and extend opening hours in all offices. Can the minister leave her press lines and give us real answers? asks Dominique Vien.

Calls for help are coming from everywhere

To add to the confusion, the service offered by Service Canada to MPs’ constituency offices that help citizens with their passport applications was cut on Friday. “Finally, this morning, we learned that this email was a mistake,” said Mr. Therrien, visibly exasperated. He said MPs were “overwhelmed with cries for help”.

She said more than 96% of passport applications are settled in person and people receive the valuable travel document within ten days. “It’s better than international standards,” she added.

The federal government has gradually relaxed certain measures for travelers since April. Those who are vaccinated then no longer have to provide a quarantine plan when they arrive in the country. The vaccination requirement for boarding a plane or train has been lifted since Monday.