Good morning.
Thank you very much, Chair and committee, for having me here today.
First, I think it is important to recognize that for decades the process of applying for and receiving a passport in Canada was one of the most seamless and predictable government services there was. The Government of Canada set a very high standard in getting citizens this critical document in a simple and timely way.
As we all know, there were some colossal failures in meeting this high standard in 2022.
About 10 months ago, we started to see an unprecedented increase in passport applications that we were unable to process, creating huge problems for far too many Canadians. There were lineups and delays, which caused stress and uncertainty.
I have said it a number of times before and I will say it again today: this was unacceptable. So we sought to correct the situation. Service Canada worked very hard to meet some major challenges and get the passport program back on track n order to meet the legitimate expectations of Canadians.
Service Canada nearly doubled the operational workforce, from 1,365 employees in March to 2,639 in December. It expanded access to service for Canadians to more offices. It added processing capacity and streamlined operations.
Staff worked thousands of hours of overtime in processing applications, printing passports and helping Canadians directly, on evenings, weekends and holidays. Special attention was paid to make sure that Canadians with urgent needs were served in time for their travel.
These efforts paid dividends, restabilizing the program by the fall. As of October 3, Service Canada began to once again deliver within the service standards for well beyond 90% of new applications.
However, there were still thousands of Canadians who applied well before that time who had to wait. Some of those Canadians may just be receiving their passports now, despite having applied as early as the summer. I have seen these cases in my own office, as have MPs across all parties. To those Canadians and others who have shown such admirable patience during this difficult situation, I once again apologize.
Since its peak in August 2022, after dedicating resources to ensuring that these Canadians received their passports, over 99% of the backlog of applications has been processed. The backlog is now virtually eliminated. The 1,700 applications that remain are there for many possible reasons. Not every application results in a passport being issued. Some cases may have other complex issues to resolve, such as matters of child custody, eligibility or integrity.
Service Canada has assessed these complex files and is working diligently to complete the review and identify the appropriate outcomes while ensuring passport integrity. The efforts and resources that have been deployed over the past year are now focused on maintaining service standards and anticipating growth in application volumes.
The first wave of passports with the 10-year validity were issued in July 2013. Service Canada is now well positioned to handle the 2023 influx of renewals and beyond.
No program or service is immune to crisis, but that is no excuse for not being well prepared. The lessons learned since the spring have been put into practice. Should there be another crisis in the future, the passport program will have done everything possible to prepare for it.
I am grateful to Service Canada employees for the many overtime hours they worked to serve millions of Canadians in difficult circumstances. It is Service Canada's role to help Canadians get their passport. Service Canada's offices are operating at maximum capacity and are consistently meeting service standards.
As was the case prior to the pandemic, there are going to be seasonal peaks, which might mean lineups at offices sometimes. With March break and summer quickly approaching, Service Canada staff are prepared to serve Canadians as quickly as possible.
Now I'd be happy to take your questions.