Frustrating, disorganized, chaotic and anxiety-provoking. Many travellers, tired of the slow pace of federal bureaucracy, described the process for renewing their Canadian passport this way.
Posted at 4:44 p.m.
At Complexe Guy-Favreau, in downtown Montreal, more than a hundred people were waiting for a passport renewal on Friday morning. When the service offices opened at 8:30 a.m., the place was already packed. Some had to board a plane the next day, and sometimes the same day.
I’ve been here since 4:30 in the morning. There were already 20 people in front of me. Apparently the first person arrived at 1:30.
Cloé Giroux, who leaves Saturday for the Czech Republic
Daphne Gosselin, 18, was already on her third visit. His first two attempts were unsuccessful.
“My grandfather is sick in France, I have to go visit him. He’s got a brain clot, she blurted out. My parents went there and came back, without me being able to leave. »
Photo Martin Chamberland, THE PRESS
At Complexe Guy-Favreau, in downtown Montreal, more than a hundred people were waiting for a passport renewal on Friday morning.
Camille Bégin, also a student, leaves on Sunday to spend the summer in Spain. She resigned from her job, packed her things… but two days before leaving, she is still waiting for a valid passport.
“It makes my departure chaotic and anxiety-provoking. I haven’t progressed since [trois heures], she says. I’m really not well. »
It’s a bit like the jungle. Everyone is on edge. There is no one who likes it.
Camille Bégin, who wishes to renew her Canadian passport
Several flaws
The opinion of the citizens on site is unanimous: there is a flagrant lack of organization and clarity, and there are not enough employees to respond adequately to demand.
Judd Pierre-Antoine, 20, does not need his passport to travel, but rather to “send official documents”. He was in line for the second day in a row.
“I arrived at 5 a.m.,” said the young man. They [les employés] didn’t show me the options. They are not cooperative. There was no indication. You have to ask people why they’re queuing. It’s frustrating. »
A mother, who wishes to conceal her name because she works in the public service, took leave on Friday to come and collect her new passport. However, she had no guarantee that she would have received it at the end of the day.
Photo Martin Chamberland, THE PRESS
Several dozen people were seated on the ground, in lines that hardly advanced. Others, aware that they would have to wait for hours, had brought their camping chairs.
“What is especially annoying is that there are no explanations on the site, she argued. I talked about it with my friends… we compared it to Twelve Labors of Asterix. »
Several dozen people were seated on the ground, in lines that hardly advanced. Others, aware that they would have to wait for hours, had brought their camping chairs. This was the case of Jacob Khayat, a film student.
“It’s full of frustrations, and we don’t know who to direct it against, he denounces. It looks all the time in the rushit’s not the fun. There is no quality of service. »
Endless
Currently, 44% of mail-in passport applications take longer than 40 business days, according to figures provided by Employment and Social Development Canada (ESDC).
A man met at Complexe Guy-Favreau, who did not give his name since he also works for the government, sent a request for his daughter on March 15. After 56 working days, he had still not received any news.
“I have to leave on July 13, says this man, who also has French nationality. I don’t even trust myself anymore. I looked at one of the counters earlier: there were only two employees. It is not normal. It was necessary to plan and train people. »
However, ESDC assures that Service Canada has hired 600 new employees specifically to help process passport applications.
The Press sought feedback from ESDC and the Canada Employment and Immigration Union. As of press time, neither organization had responded to our calls.
With Vincent Brousseau-Pouliot, The Press
Learn more
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- 1,273,000
- Number of passports issued in Canada between 1er April 2021 and March 31, 2022. This is a quantity three and a half times greater than the previous year, on the same dates.
Employment and Social Development Canada