A confusing scene at a passport office in downtown Montreal saw police call in to help handle the crowds on Tuesday, while hopeful travelers pledged to spend the night just to secure their place in line. .
For some, just waiting to get a passport has grown from hours to days.
Sonia Basili left her son’s passport application in person in April.
Sitting in front of the Montreal office on Tuesday, she says she and her family had no choice but to queue, starting at 6 p.m. the day before. His flight to France leaves on Wednesday night.
“My mother sat here, then my husband slept here. We went in this morning, I was very disorganized. We didn’t make the cut, so we went out again and we’ll sleep here tonight and leave. Tomorrow morning “Basili told CTV National News.
She stays positive, but says she’s lucky to have family members who can sit down when needed, knowing that others don’t have that privilege.
Basil says he even had to take the day off to queue.
“When we go inside, what happens next?” she said. “We’ll get it or we’ll be stuck outside, sleeping outside again for the next day.”
A rise in travel interest after two years of the COVID-19 pandemic has seen passport applications soar, creating massive delays forcing some Canadians to cancel or reschedule their travel plans. , which could leave them out of thousands of dollars.
Some are advertising services to queue for passport applicants, for a price, while a Vancouver woman bought a return flight to Edmonton just to get her document in time for a trip to Las Vegas. Vegas. He documented his experience at TikTok.
A Service Canada statement in May said it had hired 600 new employees to process passport applications and opened additional dedicated passport counters at more than 300 centers.
“We have hired an additional 600 people since January, in the process of hiring 600 more,” said Minister for Families, Children and Social Development Karina Gould.
“Hundreds were reassigned internally within the Canada Service, with people from CRA (Canada Revenue Agency), immigration. Talking to Global Affairs as well as other departments, to see how we can further expand the workforce, so we can ensure that Canadians receive their passports in a timely manner. “
A ticket system is expected to be installed so that passport applicants do not have to camp outside.
With CTV News files