Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
Welcome to the committee.
Before I begin this morning, I would just like to say that staff in my Bathurst office asked me to congratulate you on the services provided by Passport Canada. When things work efficiently, it's important to say so. I was asked to be sure to pass on that message.
Since the changes brought about by 9/11, people need passports. Indeed, I think everybody in my riding should all have a passport by now. In my area, it's more like a Passport Canada office than an MP's office. The number of people coming in is unbelievable. There are dozens of them every day. It is quite a service that we provide. It should be provided by Passport Canada, but in our area of North-Eastern New Brunswick, we are not entitled to it. I want to commend you for that part of your service, for the quick turnaround and even the communication between our office and the Passport Canada office.
I also have some questions. In your presentation, you referred to the A and B ratings you received, but you didn't talk about the “E” rating. I would like to try and understand why you received that rating, and where the gaps were. I know that you explained this, but I'd like to have a better understanding. You say that you had no obligation, but it's also possible that people didn't need a passport at the time. So, there was no urgency in that regard. Now, however, people do need to communicate extensively with you. It's not like before. Nobody can leave the country without a passport. The time will come when it will be the same as in Europe. I think it's perfectly normal for people to always carry their passport with them. I think we are moving in that direction.
Do you think the regulations or that attitude should change, since you have to meet new obligations?