Sunday, July 5, 2026
    ADVT 
    National

    Canada's passport backlog 'completely eliminated'

    Darpan News Desk The Canadian Press, 21 Mar, 2023 11:02 AM
    • Canada's passport backlog 'completely eliminated'

    OTTAWA - Families Minister Karina Gould announced today that the federal government has now "completely eliminated" the backlog of passport applications that caused major delays — and major political strife — last year.

    She also announced that Ottawa is launching a new digital tool that will allow Canadians to check the status of their Service Canada application online, as long as they provide an email address.

    The update comes after Gould said in late January that the backlog was "virtually eliminated," with the exception of some complex cases held back for reasons such as child-custody issues.

    The pandemic had caused a nearly two-year lull in passport applications, but demand skyrocketed once people began travelling again, leading Service Canada to double the number of employees processing passports last year.

    Gould told reporters today that she can guarantee that people who apply for passports will now get them on time, and she urged people whose passports expire in 2023 to get them renewed immediately.

    The minister says there are plans in place in case another backlog occurs, but she did not offer details about what those plans are.

    Prev Next

    MORE National ARTICLES

    One dead as tree topples across Vancouver road

    One dead as tree topples across Vancouver road
    A statement from police says it happened just after 5 p.m. Tuesday on Marine Way in southeast Vancouver. They say the victim was alone in a sedan when the tree toppled across all three westbound lanes, crushing the vehicle's passenger compartment.

    One dead as tree topples across Vancouver road

    Crews search water off Nanaimo, B.C., for man

    Crews search water off Nanaimo, B.C., for man
    Police say they were called Monday evening to a report that a woman had fallen overboard and a vessel from the Nanaimo Port Authority found her clinging to a rope tied to an anchored sailboat. But police say the man, who is believed to be the woman's 59-year-old partner, has not been seen.

    Crews search water off Nanaimo, B.C., for man

    Arrest made in the death of International Indian student Kartik Vasudev

    Arrest made in the death of International Indian student Kartik Vasudev
    The man arrested is 39 years old Richard Jonathan Edwin, who was also charged with another homicide last Saturday. He is described as a Black male who is about 5'6 to 5'7 feet tall with a medium build. 

    Arrest made in the death of International Indian student Kartik Vasudev

    Feds signal change on skills training spending

    Feds signal change on skills training spending
    The head of the Canadian Labour Congress expressed worries on Tuesday that labour groups could be left out of talks over a federal pledge to let workers access skills training programs before they become unemployed.

    Feds signal change on skills training spending

    Multi-home owners hold up to 41% of stock: StatCan

    Multi-home owners hold up to 41% of stock: StatCan
    The data from the Canadian Housing Statistics Program, which includes both residential and recreational holdings, reveals multiple-property ownership accounted for 41 per cent of Nova Scotia's housing stock, 39 per cent of New Brunswick's, 31 per cent of Ontario's and 29 per cent of British Columbia's.

    Multi-home owners hold up to 41% of stock: StatCan

    B.C. coroner wants action on safer drug supply

    B.C. coroner wants action on safer drug supply
    Lisa Lapointe says urgent action is needed to decriminalize small amounts of drugs for personal use and to provide more people with a safer supply of substances that would replace the profit-driven illicit market.

    B.C. coroner wants action on safer drug supply

    PrevNext