Passport Canada

normanchateau · May 4, 2007

The Conservatives campaigned on a platform of government accountability. Apparently this does not apply to Peter MacKay's ministry which is apparently "in charge" of Passport Canada.

"Auditor-General Sheila Fraser warned the federal government in mid-2006 that the agency wasn't ready for the increase in applications. Naturally, nothing was done -- which has led to the current crisis." Story below:

http://www.canada.com/vancouversun/news/ed...e7-68106e9b2b99

Perhaps Monte Solberg, another minister in this government of incompetents, was being ironic last month when he said in Regina, "Canada's new Government is working to improve the services we provide Canadians."

I wonder how many of those Vancouverites in the eight hour lineups on the sidewalk at Passport Canada will be voting for Canada's new Government next time.

Argus · May 4, 2007

The Conservatives campaigned on a platform of government accountability. Apparently this does not apply to Peter MacKay's ministry which is apparently "in charge" of Passport Canada.
"Auditor-General Sheila Fraser warned the federal government in mid-2006 that the agency wasn't ready for the increase in applications. Naturally, nothing was done -- which has led to the current crisis." Story below:

http://www.canada.com/vancouversun/news/ed...e7-68106e9b2b99

Perhaps Monte Solberg, another minister in this government of incompetents, was being ironic last month when he said in Regina, "Canada's new Government is working to improve the services we provide Canadians."

I wonder how many of those Vancouverites in the eight hour lineups on the sidewalk at Passport Canada will be voting for Canada's new Government next time.

Bunch of stupid people completely ignore the upcoming deadline, pay no attention whatsoever to the news or warnings, and wait until the last minute and - SURPRISE - there's a flood of applications and they have to wait.

Oh boooooo hoooooo! If you lose your deposit for that trip to Florida because you only applied for the passport last month - good. Serves you right for being a sub literate cretin. I feel zero sympathy for those people waiting in lines for their passports when they've known about this for over a year.

normanchateau · May 4, 2007

The Conservatives campaigned on a platform of government accountability. Apparently this does not apply to Peter MacKay's ministry which is apparently "in charge" of Passport Canada.

"Auditor-General Sheila Fraser warned the federal government in mid-2006 that the agency wasn't ready for the increase in applications. Naturally, nothing was done -- which has led to the current crisis." Story below:

http://www.canada.com/vancouversun/news/ed...e7-68106e9b2b99

Perhaps Monte Solberg, another minister in this government of incompetents, was being ironic last month when he said in Regina, "Canada's new Government is working to improve the services we provide Canadians."

I wonder how many of those Vancouverites in the eight hour lineups on the sidewalk at Passport Canada will be voting for Canada's new Government next time.

Bunch of stupid people complete ignore the upcoming deadline, pay no attention whatsoever to the news or warnings, and wait until the last minute and - SURPRISE - there's a flood of applications and they have to wait.

Obviously the Auditor-General is a fool for suggesting that the Government ought to be proactive in order to maintain a reasonable level of service. She should be completely ignored...except of course when she points out Liberal failings.

August1991 · May 5, 2007

Bunch of stupid people complete ignore the upcoming deadline, pay no attention whatsoever to the news or warnings, and wait until the last minute and - SURPRISE - there's a flood of applications and they have to wait.
Oh boooooo hoooooo! If you lose your deposit for that trip to Florida because you only applied for the passport last month - good. Serves you right for being a sub literate cretin. I feel zero sympathy for those people waiting in lines for their passports when they've known about this for over a year.

Argus, it is that kind of smug arrogance that irritates taxpayers.

The bureaucrats in the passport office are public servants. We pay their salary. They are supposed to work for us. Moreover, we have no choice: we depend solely on them for our passports. It is the responsibility of the bureaucrats to organize their affairs so that we can get the service we pay for.

It now costs $87 to get a passport and you may have to wait several months to get one.

That's outrageous. The bureaucrats in the passport office are incompetent but we, as taxpayers, have no way to fire our so-called servants.

If my local restaurant or car wash operated this way, I'd go elsewhere. In the case of the passport office, I can't - unless I become a citizen of another country.

Perhaps Monte Solberg, another minister in this government of incompetents, was being ironic last month when he said in Regina, "Canada's new Government is working to improve the services we provide Canadians."

It is not the minister who is incompetent. It is the bureaucracy.

guyser · May 5, 2007

Not to mention that many politicos were saying that this would get washed away and not come into fruition.

But people do tend to leave things, but as a service industry , the govt fails big time on this one.

BubberMiley · May 5, 2007

All conservative governments strive for incompetency in government. Then they can say, "Look, government doesn't work!" They did it with Katrina. They're even doing it with the appalling conditions the wounded soldiers are living in at Walter Reid.

normanchateau · May 5, 2007

Bunch of stupid people complete ignore the upcoming deadline, pay no attention whatsoever to the news or warnings, and wait until the last minute and - SURPRISE - there's a flood of applications and they have to wait.
Oh boooooo hoooooo! If you lose your deposit for that trip to Florida because you only applied for the passport last month - good. Serves you right for being a sub literate cretin. I feel zero sympathy for those people waiting in lines for their passports when they've known about this for over a year.

Argus, it is that kind of smug arrogance that irritates taxpayers.
The bureaucrats in the passport office are public servants. We pay their salary. They are supposed to work for us. Moreover, we have no choice: we depend solely on them for our passports. It is the responsibility of the bureaucrats to organize their affairs so that we can get the service we pay for.

It now costs $87 to get a passport and you may have to wait several months to get one.

That's outrageous. The bureaucrats in the passport office are incompetent but we, as taxpayers, have no way to fire our so-called servants.

If my local restaurant or car wash operated this way, I'd go elsewhere. In the case of the passport office, I can't - unless I become a citizen of another country.

Perhaps Monte Solberg, another minister in this government of incompetents, was being ironic last month when he said in Regina, "Canada's new Government is working to improve the services we provide Canadians."
it is not the minister who is incompetent. It is the bureaucracy.

Is the minister, in this case Peter MacKay, not ultimately responsible for the bureaucracy he oversees? Who's ultimately accountable if not the minister?

BornAlbertan · May 5, 2007

Well...considering the fact that the Conservatives were only in power for 6 months at the time, and then consider acclimatization period etc...well regardless....should nothing have been in place when the Liberals got the roust? Anyway, during a governmental change there are bound to be some mix-ups, however something should have been in the works BEFORE the Conservatives took power. Government doesn't grind to a halt when parties change and nothing happens overnight.

It just goes to show...Conservative....Liberal...it doesn't matter. Politicians flop like fish and never hit the water.

August1991 · May 5, 2007

Is the minister, in this case Peter MacKay, not ultimately responsible for the bureaucracy he oversees? Who's ultimately accountable if not the minister?

Exactly. MacKay is responsible for passports. And if the next MFA minister, Liberal or Sikh or NDP, charges $87 for a passport - she'll be gone too.

I wonder whether traditional politicians and MSM columnists really understand what is going on. Canadians are tired of gasoline taxes, greenhouse gases, sponsorship scandals and snobs telling us what to do. Canadians (English/French) are appalled to wait for several months for a passport. And $87 for a passport?

Harper will go, and then the next PM and the next too. Eventually a PM will understand, maybe.

The politicians and the columnists will likely understand faster than the bureaucrats who seem to think that they've got a job for life and a pension until they die. (Take note Argus. Your pension is a mere paper promise.)

Canadian civil servants mistakenly understand their contract.

A future Canadian politician, based on a democratic election, could redefine democratically the pension of federal civil servants. We pay the salaries of public servants now and government has the power to decide differently.

Argus, government has the arbitrary power to move money from me to you, or you to me. Do you trust your public service managers? Do you trust politicians? Do you trust Canadian voters? Your posts here imply otherwise.

And yet Argus, you believe that Canadian taxpayers will pay/honour your pension (and I imagine that you have put all your eggs in one basket).

Argus, I see a Soviet disconnect. Do you?

normanchateau · May 5, 2007

The Conservatives campaigned on a platform of government accountability. Apparently this does not apply to Peter MacKay's ministry which is apparently "in charge" of Passport Canada.

"Auditor-General Sheila Fraser warned the federal government in mid-2006 that the agency wasn't ready for the increase in applications. Naturally, nothing was done -- which has led to the current crisis." Story below:

http://www.canada.com/vancouversun/news/ed...e7-68106e9b2b99

Perhaps Monte Solberg, another minister in this government of incompetents, was being ironic last month when he said in Regina, "Canada's new Government is working to improve the services we provide Canadians."

I wonder how many of those Vancouverites in the eight hour lineups on the sidewalk at Passport Canada will be voting for Canada's new Government next time.

Oh boooooo hoooooo! If you lose your deposit for that trip to Florida because you only applied for the passport last month - good. Serves you right for being a sub literate cretin. I feel zero sympathy for those people waiting in lines for their passports when they've known about this for over a year.

I wonder if you feel sorry for this 54 year old woman:

http://www.canada.com/vancouversun/news/st...1d0310f&k=66359

She has terminal cancer and just left palliative care at Vancouver General Hospital so she could stand in line for a passport before travelling to visit friends and relatives one last time while she is still mobile. She did not anticipate that she'd be dying so soon and so quickly, and therefore had not got a passport previously. Read the story in the link. Should Passport Canada not have a mechanism in place to deal with people like her or do you have zero sympathy for people like her?

scribblet · May 5, 2007

Bunch of stupid people complete ignore the upcoming deadline, pay no attention whatsoever to the news or warnings, and wait until the last minute and - SURPRISE - there's a flood of applications and they have to wait.
Oh boooooo hoooooo! If you lose your deposit for that trip to Florida because you only applied for the passport last month - good. Serves you right for being a sub literate cretin. I feel zero sympathy for those people waiting in lines for their passports when they've known about this for over a year.

I'm with you on this one, people have known for a long time about passport requirements and all of a sudden its the conservative's fault - only a real liberal partisan with blinders on could come up with that one, after all the Liberals knew what was coming too and did nothing.

Actually they are hiring about 500 more people to handle the increase from around $14,000 applications day to 22,000, but hey - we don't want to hire more people and add to a a bloated government do we ?

normanchateau · May 5, 2007

I feel zero sympathy for those people waiting in lines for their passports when they've known about this for over a year.

I'm with you on this one, people have known for a long time about passport requirements and all of a sudden its the conservative's fault.

So what you are saying is that this woman should have anticipated long ago that she would develop terminal cancer and have only 6 months of mobility left. Let's hope that Stephen Harper's refusal to comment on this issue doesn't mean that he thinks as you do.

http://www.canada.com/vancouversun/news/st...1d0310f&k=66359

BubberMiley · May 5, 2007

So what you are saying is that this woman should have anticipated long ago that she would develop terminal cancer and have only 6 months of mobility left.

I think what they're saying is she's stupid for not foreseeing that the conservatives would come to power and that government would become incompetent.

jdobbin · May 5, 2007

I'm with you on this one, people have known for a long time about passport requirements and all of a sudden its the conservative's fault - only a real liberal partisan with blinders on could come up with that one, after all the Liberals knew what was coming too and did nothing.

You assume that all of these people are new passport applicants. Many people are renewing as well and have put their renewals in way in advance and are still being delayed. This is their fault?

The Conservatives were warned about this by the department and still a year later can't get their act together.

Argus · May 5, 2007

Bunch of stupid people complete ignore the upcoming deadline, pay no attention whatsoever to the news or warnings, and wait until the last minute and - SURPRISE - there's a flood of applications and they have to wait.
Oh boooooo hoooooo! If you lose your deposit for that trip to Florida because you only applied for the passport last month - good. Serves you right for being a sub literate cretin. I feel zero sympathy for those people waiting in lines for their passports when they've known about this for over a year.

Argus, it is that kind of smug arrogance that irritates taxpayers.

Well then, let me as a civil servant express my utter contempt for taxpayers, that mass of ignorant, bawling sheep who want everything on a platter but don't want to pay for it.

The bureaucrats in the passport office are public servants. We pay their salary. They are supposed to work for us.

Oh please. Could you possibly be more cliched? Why does everyone use that stupid cliche? Do you think we don't pay taxes too? Does anyone tell the mechanic at the garage "I pay your salary! You work for me!"? phht.

Moreover, we have no choice: we depend solely on them for our passports. It is the responsibility of the bureaucrats to organize their affairs so that we can get the service we pay for.

And the people have no responsibility to take upcoming border changes into consideration when making their plans? Do you have any idea how processing of passports could be speeded up rapidly for a short period of time without enormous cost? Do you even know what is involved in processing passport applications? I can tell you that the people who actually make passports are working three shifts, 24hrs a day, and working on weekends, as well. I can tell you the equipment used is very large, very expensive, and can't simply be ordered from Canadian Tire on a Tuesday and stuffed into an unused closet. Significant increases in processing would require a new building be constructed and new equipment special ordered from the manufacturer to place within it. I wonder how many "taxpayers" who constantly bitch and whine about their taxes would be willing to embrace the enormous cost of this endeavorer in order to speed up processing passports for idiots who didn't think ahead.

Argus · May 5, 2007

All conservative governments strive for incompetency in government. Then they can say, "Look, government doesn't work!"

Wow. What a flash of insight. So the fact our health care system and social services deteriorated over the past fifteen years is all due to the conservatives - who weren't in power? Cool.

scribblet · May 5, 2007

Sheez who saw this coming huh - this passport thing came right out of the blue.

Anyone paying for a vacation without having a passport in their hands must be a tad slow on the uptake, emergencies do happen, and often they will process them quickly but it seems something like over 300,000 applications were received in January alone. But yep, its all the CPC's fault cos you know - we've only known about it for the last few months. Sure - this has been years coming and the date has been moved back a few times. No-one's fault but their own.

Argus · May 5, 2007

Is the minister, in this case Peter MacKay, not ultimately responsible for the bureaucracy he oversees? Who's ultimately accountable if not the minister?
Exactly. MacKay is responsible for passports. And if the next MFA minister, Liberal or Sikh or NDP, charges $87 for a passport - she'll be gone too.

Can you name me one federal cabinet minister in the last twenty five years who was booted out because of continuing inadequate services provided to the public by his ministry?

Nope. The Liberals put the idea of ministerial responsibility away long ago. Although, naturally, they're trying to resurect it while the Tories are in power.

I wonder whether traditional politicians and MSM columnists really understand what is going on. Canadians are tired of gasoline taxes, greenhouse gases, sponsorship scandals and snobs telling us what to do. Canadians (English/French) are appalled to wait for several months for a passport. And $87 for a passport?

Which lasts for years, so spread over the years it's not so bad. I think the tories have proposed doubling that too.

Harper will go, and then the next PM and the next too. Eventually a PM will understand, maybe.

The quality, timeless and efficiency of public services other than health care has not even been an issue in federal elections during my lifetime. So if the taxpayers are so all-fired concerned they don't appear to be communicating their concern very clearly. Further, even the health care concern was confused and uninformed, as they kept voting for the Liberals who cut health care support simply because every election they trumpeted their love for health care.

A future Canadian politician, based on a democratic election, could redefine democratically the pension of federal civil servants. We pay the salaries of public servants now and government has the power to decide differently.

Civil servants pay a substantial amount of their salary into their pension plan, and I highly doubt there's any legal way for the government to retroactively change the provisions of a pension plan they have gone to so much trouble and time to explain to each and every civil servant (including special classes to instruct them in what to expect and how to prepare for retirement). Furthermore, why would they? Because of whiners who don't like public servants and are jealous of them? The government makes noises to court this vote, but it knows that if it wants to function properly making their public servants hate them is unlikely to be of much assistance. It just causes every scandalous secret to be sent to the press in brown envelopes.

Argus, government has the arbitrary power to move money from me to you, or you to me. Do you trust your public service managers?

No. Most of them are chosen because of their ability to speak French, not their competence.

Do you trust politicians? Do you trust Canadian voters? Your posts here imply otherwise.

I trust no one. Why should I? Who has demonstrated wisdom over the years? The public? hardly. Look at the idiots they elect to office.

Argus · May 5, 2007

I wonder if you feel sorry for this 54 year old woman:
http://www.canada.com/vancouversun/news/st...1d0310f&k=66359

She has terminal cancer and just left palliative care at Vancouver General Hospital so she could stand in line for a passport before travelling to visit friends and relatives one last time while she is still mobile. She did not anticipate that she'd be dying so soon and so quickly, and therefore had not got a passport previously. Read the story in the link. Should Passport Canada not have a mechanism in place to deal with people like her or do you have zero sympathy for people like her?

I'm not sure what you want. There are provisions for emergency passports. There are provisions to speed things up, and people can be moved to the head of the line. It physically takes time to create a passport. Is that beyond your understanding?

normanchateau · May 5, 2007

But yep, its all the CPC's fault cos you know - we've only known about it for the last few months.

No of course it's not the Conservatives' fault that they chose to ignore completely last year's warnings from the Auditor General that Passport Canada was unprepared for the massive, anticipated increase in passport applications. It's the fault of the Liberals, or the NDP, or the BQ, maybe even the Greens. Indeed the opposition parties and every Canadian without a passport is responsible for the Conservatives choosing to ignore the Auditor General's warning to the federal government. It was merely an unfortunate coincidence that last year's federal government was Conservative.

What a bunch of bumbling incompetents the Conservatives have proven to be.

normanchateau · May 5, 2007

I wonder if you feel sorry for this 54 year old woman:

http://www.canada.com/vancouversun/news/st...1d0310f&k=66359

She has terminal cancer and just left palliative care at Vancouver General Hospital so she could stand in line for a passport before travelling to visit friends and relatives one last time while she is still mobile. She did not anticipate that she'd be dying so soon and so quickly, and therefore had not got a passport previously. Read the story in the link. Should Passport Canada not have a mechanism in place to deal with people like her or do you have zero sympathy for people like her?

I'm not sure what you want. There are provisions for emergency passports. There are provisions to speed things up, and people can be moved to the head of the line. It physically takes time to create a passport. Is that beyond your understanding?

Either you didn't read the last page of the link or you failed to comprehend it.

jdobbin · May 5, 2007

What a bunch of bumbling incompetents the Conservatives have proven to be.

I'm sure the people standing in those long lines know exactly who is in government right now.

Michael Bluth · May 5, 2007

I'm sure the people standing in those long lines know exactly who is in government right now.

Really? And this is apropos of what?

Do they somehow think the Liberals would have been more proactive on this file?

jdobbin · May 5, 2007

Sheez who saw this coming huh - this passport thing came right out of the blue.
Anyone paying for a vacation without having a passport in their hands must be a tad slow on the uptake, emergencies do happen, and often they will process them quickly but it seems something like over 300,000 applications were received in January alone. But yep, its all the CPC's fault cos you know - we've only known about it for the last few months. Sure - this has been years coming and the date has been moved back a few times. No-one's fault but their own.

The government was warned by the Auditor and yet continued to bumble its way through things even though they predicted the demand would pick up. It will continue to pick up as cross border vehicle traffic is also included.

normanchateau · May 5, 2007

I'm sure the people standing in those long lines know exactly who is in government right now.

Do they somehow think the Liberals would have been more proactive on this file?

Perhaps they had anticipated that the Conservatives would have been more accountable rather than blaming it all on low level bureaucrats. What responsibility has Peter MacKay taken publicly?