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Line-ups and delays at passport offices in Ottawa, and across the country, caused problems for Canadians who wanted to visit the United States or travel overseas this year. In June, I joined the Public Accounts Committee to ask some tough questions about the backlog, the government’s actions, and what happened.

First, a little background: Last January, the US government’s Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative (WHTI) came into force, requiring Canadians who fly into, or through, the US to show a passport. A predictable increase in passport applications occurred, but the government was overwhelmed by the surge.

As a result, since then my constituency office has helped 10 to 12 times as many constituents get emergency passport service as it normally would. Many constituents’ travel plans were put in jeopardy as they struggled to get responses from the government, even after applying months in advance.

Plagued by questions, on February 13, Foreign Affairs Minister MacKay said – categorically and quite astonishingly – in the House of Commons' Question Period that upwards of 500 more employees at Passport Canada had already been hired. But on April 23 – more than two months later – he stood up and said that he hoped "to have them all on stream very soon." Journalists reported that calls to the government about the issue were not being returned as late as May.

In June, the government announced that passport rules would change. Guarantors no longer need to hold any kind of accreditation. (For more details, call my office at 613-990-8640 or visit www.ppt.gc.ca.)

Holding the Government Accountable

When I questioned officials at the Public Accounts committee, they explained that roughly half a million passport applications were made by Canadians confused about the new US travel requirements, thinking that passports would be required immediately for land travel to the US. [The Canadian Border Services Agency, under Public Safety Minister Stockwell Day, is responsible for keeping Canadians informed about travel documents required (see the CBSA website). Canadians can cross the border by car with other government identification such as birth certificate or driver’s license until at least summer 2008.]

They also confirmed that at that point – four months after the Minister’s statement that 500 new staff were working – the staff had not yet been all hired.

At the same committee meeting, Auditor General Sheila Frasier revealed that past recommendations made to Passport Canada by her office had not yet been implemented. Although many improvements have been made, Passport Canada is still struggling to meet expectations for better security and service. Access to the system that issues passports, for instance, is still poorly controlled. I will continue to work to hold the government accountable for its management of vital services.