Twenty people were still waiting for their passports outside the Complexe Guy-Favreau on Saturday noon in Montreal. Among them, some were encouraged by the announcement of the creation of a special task force to tackle the delays, but the frustration remains.
Posted at 8:52
Updated at 2:17 p.m.
Nadine, the fictitious name of a woman who wanted to remain anonymous since she works for the government, hopes this time will be the right one.
Her flight to Switzerland was originally scheduled for June 22, but she was still stuck in line in front of the Federal Building as she took off. So she pushed back to June 26. She obtained an appointment for the renewal of her passport after 44 hours of waiting, but for June 27 only.
She therefore returned to Complexe Guy-Favreau on Saturday morning in the hope of obtaining one beforehand. “It has improved a lot,” she notes all the same. The offices were closed on Friday for the national holiday, but The Press reported earlier this week that hundreds of people were waiting in difficult conditions to obtain the precious travel document.
PHOTO DOMINICK GRAVEL, THE PRESS
The federal government has announced the creation of a special task force to help it tackle delays in processing passport and immigration applications.
The group, made up of members of Cabinet, will review service delivery and make recommendations to government. In a statement announcing the new task force, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau called the current delays unacceptable.
The committee is expected to make recommendations, with short and long-term solutions to reduce wait times, eliminate the backlog of applications waiting to be processed and improve the overall quality of services offered.
It will also look at external issues, such as labor shortages that contribute to travel delays both at home and abroad.
Fei, who was also waiting in front of the Guy-Favreau Complex on Saturday, does not yet have an appointment. “I submitted an application by post on May 2, but I have heard nothing. So that’s why I’m taking a chance today,” she said. She hopes to get her son’s passport or an appointment before her flight to Punta Cana, scheduled for June 28.
PHOTO DOMINICK GRAVEL, THE PRESS
Fei was hoping to get his son a passport or a date.
She arrived a little before 8 a.m. Saturday, encouraged by the news of the creation of the task force. “That’s why I’m here,” she said.
“We have implemented new measures to help manage wait times at passport offices in Toronto, the Greater Toronto Area and Montreal,” the federal government says on its website. “We will give priority to people who need a passport within 48 hours. »
With The Canadian Press