According to the federal government, a fraction of the passports that are normally filed in a year were filed over two years of COVID-19, so during the pandemic, passport staff were given other work. Now, Service Canada is trying to shift that workload elsewhere, hire more staff and open more access points, but has no idea when the backlogs will be resolved.

So what’s behind all of the passport delays?

According to Blacklock’s Reporter many of Service Canada’s employees are still working from home:
“Of 26,136 Service Canada’s employees that handles passport applications, a total 18,362 are working from home.”

DOCUMENTS: Of 26,136 employees @ServiceCanada_E agency that handles passport applications, a total 18,362 are working from home.

“I completely understand the frustration Canadians are facing right now.”
— Minister @karinagould https://t.co/tohWEIRBdg @PassportCan #cdnpoli pic.twitter.com/9uOOtCTQO8

— Holly Doan (@hollyanndoan) June 15, 2022

Passport offices have been experiencing staffing shortages.

According to Blacklock’s Reporter the agency that runs passport offices suspended hundreds of staff under vaccinate mandates.

Agency that runs #passport offices suspended hundreds of staff under #vax mandates, data show: "Incompetence is reaching unprecedented heights" https://t.co/yCt7lzdgtr #cdnpoli @MarcDalton @karinagould pic.twitter.com/3qG7qBgomd

— Blacklock's Reporter (@mindingottawa) June 21, 2022

Passport Delays Are So Bad The Provincial Police are Having to Clean Up The Liberal Federal Government’s Mess

Passport Delays Are So Bad Even the Bloc are Expressing Their Concern to the Liberals in the HOC. The Federal fiasco is becoming dangerous. At this point, the police have had to intervene in lineups at passport offices, and they’re not just managing people’s anger. They’re answering questions on behalf of federal employees.

“The Federal fiasco is becoming dangerous. At this point, the police have had to intervene in lineups at passport offices.”

Are passport delays due to employees still working from home?
"We need to authorize the return to work to employees on site." pic.twitter.com/bE3HEwTt7s

— Canadian Riley (@TiaRileyCanada) June 22, 2022

“To get a passport, people have to bring their tent and spend the night on the sidewalk that’s happening here in Canada, a G7 country.”

Citizens spent the weekend seeing for themselves that no one from the federal government was there at work to help.

People Camping Outside Passport Offices Watched All Weekend and No Workers Came.

"Citizens spent the weekend seeing for themselves that no one from the federal government was there at work to help." pic.twitter.com/0abwa6eKMg

— Canadian Riley (@TiaRileyCanada) June 22, 2022

“Citizens I camped out all weekend in front of Service Canada offices to try to get a passport. In spite of the wind and the rain, they stayed outside all weekend trying to access this service.”

According to the federal government, a fraction of the passports that are normally filed in a year were filed over two years of COVID-19, so during the pandemic, passport staff were given other work. Now, Service Canada is trying to shift that workload elsewhere, hire more staff and open more access points, but has no idea when the backlogs will be resolved.

As many Canadians look to travel abroad, some passport seekers say they’ve been forced to camp outside service centers or reschedule trips because of the bureaucratic bottleneck.

This is the lineup for passports at my local @ServiceCanada_E in Montreal. It’s not isolated – it’s a daily occurrence being repeated all across the country. You think this is acceptable @SeanFraserMP @karinagould? We’re a G7 country, act like it. deserves better. pic.twitter.com/p1qkwRklba

— Senator Leo Housakos (@SenatorHousakos) June 16, 2022

Other travelers complain that Passport Canada online application status tracker is not working and no one is answering passport Canada phone number.

Service Canada announced it had hired 600 new employees to help with processing passport applications, had opened more dedicated passport intake counters in Service Canada locations, had created more processing hubs, and had introduced a new workload management system and processing technology to increase efficiency.

Service Canada continues to hire and train more employees, including the integration of up to 600 new employees over the course of the year and the reassignment of up to 600 employees to passport service delivery.

Minister Karina Gould said “We understand that this situation is difficult and stressful. … The minister has directed officials to work as hard as possible to meet the demand and to examine operations to ensure they’re doing everything they can,”

Canadians continue to have to pay Service Canada for expedited passports, despite the minister assuring this house, that this wouldn’t be the case, half the time they’re not even getting the enhanced service they’re being forced to pay for this directive first came out weeks ago. And yet it’s still not being implemented.