Madam Chair, the arrangement that we have with Service Canada has been in effect for approximately two years. This is a pilot arrangement given that, when the idea was launched, certain facts had not yet been confirmed. This is why Service Canada services were provided to us free of charge for the past two years. Service Canada bore the costs of service delivery.
The order on passports will be amended in order to confirm that Service Canada is authorized to provide services on our behalf. This will be the first change. We are in the process of negotiating the details of the services that are to be provided with Service Canada. In addition to being the receiving agent, this organization will verify the authenticity of the documents accompanying the passport application. As part of the current negotiating process, we are specifying the costs involved and the funding that will be required by Service Canada. This funding will be the responsibility of Passport Canada and not Service Canada. We will assume the cost for some things, for example, the volume of applications. I have last year's statistics with me. That may provide you with an overview of the situation.