Feds Say They're 'Starting To Put A Dent' In The Canadian Passport Backlog

The federal government is "starting to put a dent" in the Canadian passport backlog and is introducing more measures to help reduce delays.

Minister of Families, Children and Social Development Karina Gould shared an update about the passport situation in Canada on July 15.

"Canadians deserve access to timely, efficient, and transparent passport delivery services. We're continuing to tackle big challenges in the passport program," she said in the release.

As the summer continues, there are continued improvements happening with Canada's passport services, according to the federal government.

"We are starting to put a dent in the backlog," Gould said. "We are not out of the woods, but this is a positive trend. The next few weeks will be critical in keeping this momentum."

The federal government is working to offer extended service hours, including weekend appointments, at passport offices across the country and use new scanning and data entry tools to "help reduce the inventory."

Also, additional passport officers and citizen service officers are being hired.

If you're travelling in the next week and mailed in your passport application or applied at a non-passport Service Canada centre but don't have your passport, the federal government said to go to the nearest passport office and request a transfer of your application file.

If you mailed in your passport application and it wasn't processed within 20 business days, all of the additional processing and pick-up fees will be waived.

"I understand the passport situation continues to be challenging and frustrating. We will continue to work around the clock to address these issues and resolve this situation," Gould said.

Earlier, on July 7, the federal government announced that it will be expanding the triage system to more passport offices in the coming weeks.

Also, Gould said it's expected that the passport backlog will "drop significantly by the end of the summer."