Thank you, Chair.
Good afternoon to my colleagues.
Minister, thank you so much for coming before HUMA today.
Before I start, I want to thank you for the national child care program. It's unbelievable the impact it's having on families right across the country, but in particular, my riding of Saint John-Rothesay. Families are literally saving thousands of dollars per year. I want to thank you for your leadership on that. It's a transformational program, and you should be very proud of it.
With regard to passports, Minister, do you have any specific advice for Canadians who are planning their summer vacations and now realize they need to get their travel documents in order?
I've heard from many constituents. Obviously, we've all gotten calls, but in my riding of Saint John-Rothesay, my constituency staff have been dealing with a high volume of calls on this issue. Individuals who applied within an appropriate time frame are being bumped by those who are applying at the last minute. I've also heard that those who applied for renewal and who indicated that their upcoming travel was via land border and not via air have not been dealt with as quickly.
Due to this, many of my constituents are becoming very nervous, especially after media reports of long waits. They want to make sure we let them know the best way to proceed, so that their documents get processed in time.
Minister, what message would you like to send Canadians? What's the best approach here? What do you recommend that Canadians do to ensure they receive passports in time for travel, and what do you recommend to those who are still waiting?