Evidence of meeting #38 for Government Operations and Estimates in the 39th Parliament, 1st Session. (The original version is on Parliament’s site, as are the minutes.) The winning word was passport.
A recording is available from Parliament.
4:25 p.m.
Conservative
Joe Preston Conservative Elgin—Middlesex—London, ON
I think we've probably done that. We've certainly sent people out to get ready now, for the next time.
4:25 p.m.
Chief Executive Officer, Passport Office, Department of Foreign Affairs
And they'll be ready next year, yes.
4:25 p.m.
Conservative
Joe Preston Conservative Elgin—Middlesex—London, ON
In the Auditor General's report, if I'm not mistaken, I'm reading that she estimates that 40% of Canadians now hold a passport.
4:25 p.m.
Chief Executive Officer, Passport Office, Department of Foreign Affairs
It's a bit more than 42%.
4:25 p.m.
Conservative
4:25 p.m.
Director General for Policy and Planning, Passport Office, Department of Foreign Affairs
I believe we'll be approaching 46% or 47%.
4:25 p.m.
Conservative
4:25 p.m.
Director General for Policy and Planning, Passport Office, Department of Foreign Affairs
It will continue to get higher.
4:25 p.m.
Conservative
Joe Preston Conservative Elgin—Middlesex—London, ON
Will it be a standard piece of documentation that most Canadians will hold?
4:30 p.m.
Director General for Policy and Planning, Passport Office, Department of Foreign Affairs
I think it's important to remember that when we were at 43% being passport holders, nearly 70% of Canadians who crossed the land border had a passport. Over 80% of Canadians who travelled had a passport. The percentage of passport holders doesn't necessarily reflect the percentage of Canadians who travel.
4:30 p.m.
Conservative
4:30 p.m.
Director General for Policy and Planning, Passport Office, Department of Foreign Affairs
Many don't travel. That's what our surveys and our work with the Conference Board have shown us.
4:30 p.m.
Chief Executive Officer, Passport Office, Department of Foreign Affairs
One factor we haven't been able to figure out yet remains a challenge for us. Some people are living in the U.S. and are travelling back to Canada to get their passport, and then they go back to the U.S. We have numbers, but we're not confident at all that those numbers are right. There is the expectation that next year, for instance, these people will cross the border, apply for a passport in Canada, and go back to the U.S.
4:30 p.m.
Conservative
Joe Preston Conservative Elgin—Middlesex—London, ON
Let's also look at a couple of other things. You talked about November, December, January, and February being some pretty key months. You also talked about removing the renewal piece. If we can remove the renewal piece out of the offices, we're going to really lower the workload piece. Is there some intent to perhaps send people renewal notices and tell them to come in June, July, and August?
4:30 p.m.
Chief Executive Officer, Passport Office, Department of Foreign Affairs
Two years ago we had a renewal pilot. Basically, through this pilot we invited a certain number of people to renew according to a streamlined process. Through that process, you don't have to come to the counter in person and you don't have to send your birth certificate and other identity documents, because we should have the means to do that without having to interface with the people.
4:30 p.m.
Conservative
Joe Preston Conservative Elgin—Middlesex—London, ON
Yes, because you did it once, and I still have a passport.
4:30 p.m.
Chief Executive Officer, Passport Office, Department of Foreign Affairs
Exactly: you've done it once, you had a passport, and so on.
We would basically like to try that renewal process again, with more people, to assess what it means in terms of re-engineering the way we do business. Out of 3.1 million passports issued last year, 84% of those were at the counter. People went to the counter, they didn't mail it in. If we could get 40% or 50% of these people away from the counter, we've solved at least the counter re-issues, and some of the savings from there could be used for expansion in places where we don't have facilities and access. It also facilitates the way Canadians would reapply for their passports.
4:30 p.m.
Conservative
Joe Preston Conservative Elgin—Middlesex—London, ON
On the website, you mentioned 31 million hits. Over what period of time was that?
4:30 p.m.
Chief Executive Officer, Passport Office, Department of Foreign Affairs
That's monthly. For November, December, and January, it was about 30 million a month.
4:30 p.m.
Conservative
Joe Preston Conservative Elgin—Middlesex—London, ON
Last time I checked, the population of Canada was very near that number. Are you suggesting that everybody in Canada is hitting your website once a month? That just seems spurious.
4:30 p.m.
Chief Executive Officer, Passport Office, Department of Foreign Affairs
It's two or three times. That's the number of hits. We're not talking about the number of transactions between us and the public.
4:30 p.m.
Conservative
Joe Preston Conservative Elgin—Middlesex—London, ON
No, I understand, but it's still an amazing number of people hitting your website.
4:30 p.m.
Chief Executive Officer, Passport Office, Department of Foreign Affairs
Yes. It's the same thing with passport online.
4:30 p.m.
Conservative
Joe Preston Conservative Elgin—Middlesex—London, ON
What are they searching for? Can you tell by your website what people are doing at your website? It would be a great piece of information, if 31 million people are hitting your website. If you got a dollar from each of them....
4:30 p.m.
Some hon. members
Oh, oh!