Passport Canada

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Passport Canada is an independent operating agency of the Government of Canada and Foreign Affairs Canada. It operates under the auspices of the Canadian Passport Order, which defines the agency. Prior to March 2005, it was known as the Passport Office. The office is responsible for issuing, revoking, withholding, and recovering Canadian passports. Due to the agency's status as a Special Operating Agency, Passport Canada is financed through the fees collected for issuing passports and other travel documents. They do not receive funding from the federal government.

Contents

[edit] Issues

[edit] Abdurahman Khadr

In July 2004, Abdurahman Khadr was denied a Canadian passport by Governor General Adrienne Clarkson, on the explicit advice of Foreign Affairs Minister Bill Graham, invoking the royal prerogative. Graham claimed the decision was "in the interest of the national security of Canada and the protection of Canadian troops in Afghanistan." After the revocation of Khadr's passport, this prerogative was formally issued in the Order Amending the Canadian Passport Order of September 22, 2004.[8] Khadr and his attorney, noted Toronto lawyer Clayton Ruby, sought judicial review of the Minister's decision.

Khadr's judicial review of the government's use of Royal Prerogative to deny him a passport came to court on December 5, 2005.[1] Ruby called the government's position "disgraceful" and said it was inconsistent with the Canadian Constitution. The Court ruled that the Government did not have the power to deny Khadr's passport in the absence of that specific authority under the Canadian Passport Order, but stated in obiter dicta that if the Order were to be amended (as was done; see above), Khadr would likely not be able to challenge the revocation.

[edit] Auditor General's Report

In April 2005, the Auditor General of Canada Sheila Fraser gave a scathing report on Passport Canada, claiming that employees of the agency lack proper security clearance. Prior to the Auditor General's report, Passport Canada had signed a Memorandum of Understanding with Corrections Canada to obtain a full list of inmates' names, as they are ineligible for a passport.

[edit] Passport requirement to enter the United States

Beginning January 23, 2007,[2] ALL persons, including U.S. citizens, traveling by air between the United States and Canada, Mexico, Central and South America, the Caribbean, and Bermuda will be required to present a valid passport, Air NEXUS card, or U.S. Coast Guard Merchant Mariner Document, or an Alien Registration Card, Form I-551, if applicable.

As early as January 1, 2008, ALL persons, including U.S. citizens, traveling between the U.S. and Canada, Mexico, Central and South America, the Caribbean, and Bermuda by land or sea (including ferries), may be required to present a valid passport or other documents as determined by the Department of Homeland Security. While recent legislative changes permit a later deadline, the Departments of State and Homeland Security are working to meet all requirements as soon as possible. Ample advance notice will be provided to enable the public to obtain passports or passport cards for land/sea entries.

The new passport requirement will affect citizens of Canada, who currently only need to show identification (usually a driver's licence) and proof of Canadian citizenship (usually a birth certificate) upon request to enter the United States. It is expected that the demand for passports will increase in light of the new policy.

In response to this policy, the Canadian government enacted a new rule stating that most Americans will also require a passport to enter Canada, though they, like Canadians, would also need a passport to reenter the United States.

[edit] Five-Year Validity

Many have suggested that Canada should extend the validity of Canadian passports for adults from five years to ten in order to reduce the cost of bearing a passport.[3][4][5][6][7][8][9] especially since many countries will not issue visas in passports with less than six months validity left, reducing the effective life of a Canadian passport to four and a half years[10][11][12] Australia,[13] Britain[14] and the United States[15] already issue ten-year passports to adults. In 2001 the Passport Office asserted that a five-year period of validity was desirable in order to deter counterfeiting and to keep Canadian passports up-to-date with the latest technology.[16] New Zealand passports are also valid for a maximum of five years,[10] but Israeli citizens can extend their passports up to ten years[17]

[edit] French-English passport proposal

In September 2003 Le Devoir printed a piece calling on the Passport Office to give individual Canadians the choice of which official language appeared first in their passports, English or French. The Passport Office initially claimed that this was not allowed under international norms, but it was shown that question no. 10 on Belgian passport applications[18] already asked Belgian citizens which of its three official languages (Dutch, French or German) should appear first in their passports.

[edit] References

  1. ^ [1]
  2. ^ http://travel.state.gov/travel/cbpmc/cbpmc_2223.html
  3. ^ Globe and Mail. April 3, 2006 issue, page A12
  4. ^ Toronto Star. April 16, 2005 issue, page F.07
  5. ^ Toronto Star. April 14, 2005 issue, page A.29
  6. ^ Toronto Star. March 5, 2004 issue, page A.23
  7. ^ Windsor Star. April 15, 2005 issue, page A.9
  8. ^ Times-Colonist. Victoria, B.C. August 29, 2003 issue, page A.12
  9. ^ The Gazette. Montreal, Que. August 8, 2002 issue, page B.2
  10. ^ a b [2] (PDF)
  11. ^ Globe and Mail. April 5, 2006 issue, page A16
  12. ^ The Gazette. Montreal, Que. August 11, 2002 issue, page A.16
  13. ^ [3]
  14. ^ [4]
  15. ^ [5]
  16. ^ Toronto Star. April 25, 2002 issue, page K.01
  17. ^ [6]
  18. ^ [7] (PDF)

[edit] See also

[edit] External links

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