Trudeau says passport delays are 'unacceptable,' promises the government will 'step up'
CBC
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is promising to do more to fix what he calls an "unacceptable" state of affairs at the country's passport offices that have been overwhelmed in recent days as thousands of Canadians scramble to get their hands on the necessary documents before travelling abroad.
Speaking to CBC Radio's The House in an interview that will air Saturday, Trudeau said he understands there's a lot of anxiety among would-be travellers right now.
"This situation is unacceptable," he said. "There's a real concern among families facing these things and we have to step up."
Pressed by host Chris Hall to say why the situation is so tenuous when it was obvious to most observers that passport demand would spike with the lifting of COVID-related travel restrictions, Trudeau said the government did hire more than 600 passport workers in January and they're prepared to hire even more to help chip away at the backlog.
"There's a lot of disruptions as the world comes back from COVID. But that's why we're working night and day to make sure that people get their passports," Trudeau said.
"We're processing tens of thousands of them every week. We're making sure we're delivering as fast as possible what people need and expect from their government."
With processing times slower than usual, many Canadians are opting to get a passport or replace an expired passport through an in-person visit to one of the 35 passport offices nationwide that accept applications.
The government has launched a new online tool to tell people just how long they can expect to wait to see an agent to process a standard passport application or an "urgent" or "express" application for people travelling in the near future.
As of Wednesday, the wait times exceeded five hours at many locations.
In Ottawa, the website advised applicants they can expect to wait nearly seven hours, which means some people in line won't be seen by the time the office closes at 4 p.m.
The limited office hours and lengthy lines have forced some travellers to camp out overnight to score a time slot when these offices open at 8:30 a.m.
Frustrated travellers have taken to Google Maps to air their grievances via online reviews of passport offices.
"It was a horrible experience! We went to apply for the passport around 7 a.m. and the line up was already too long," Taghrid Chahine said in a recent post about their experience with Ottawa's only passport office.
"I felt bad for moms who were with their kids waiting for hours and then did not get served!"
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