November 30, 2007

Ron presents the Minister of Foreign Affairs with the constituent survey overwhelmingly supporting the establishment of a full service passport office in Kelowna

Constituents who are anticipating travel to the United States in the new year have been contacting my office with questions regarding the need for a passport.

Canadian citizens flying to or through the U.S. must present a valid Canadian passport.

As for land or water travel, a U.S. law that was scheduled to come into force as of January 31, 2008, has since been delayed until June 1, 2009, at the earliest. At that time you will be required to present:

• a government-issued photo ID, such as a driver's licence;

AND

• a birth certificate or a citizenship card;

OR

• For youth under 16, a birth certificate;

OR

• A valid passport.

While there has been some indication that considerations between countries are taking place to find alternatives such as enhanced drivers’ licenses, nothing is official and the above criteria should be observed.

Constituents who cross the border by land and water often will also want to consider a NEXUS or Free and Secure Trade (FAST) card. Information on the NEXUS and FAST can be obtained at the Canadian Border Services Agency website at www.cbsa-asfc.gc.ca. If you cannot access the web, please contact my office at 470-5075 and we will obtain the information for you.

I think most of us have accepted the new reality that a passport has become an essential item and that a passport is the only universally accepted identification document which proves we have a right to return to Canada.

But the message is loud and clear that Canadians are not satisfied with the length of time and effort it takes to obtain a passport. We want a simpler and timelier process put in place.

In our riding especially, we have made it abundantly clear to the Government that a full service Passport Office in the Okanagan is a necessity.

This view was backed up by an informal survey conducted through my office earlier this year. The survey went to every household in the riding and of those who responded, 4,704 of you to be exact, the overwhelming majority, 98.9%, supported the establishment of a full service passport office in Kelowna.

I presented all 4,704 surveys to the Minister of Foreign Affairs, the Honourable Maxime Bernier as one more argument in our arsenal for obtaining a passport office here in the Okanagan.

Local and provincial business associations are also doing their best to help. Just recently I received a copy of a letter sent to Passport Canada from the British Columbia Automobile Association on behalf of its 780,000 members urging CEO Gerald Cossette to bring full passport services to the BC central interior.

The BCAA predicts that we will see another spike in passport applications as we did last year when the US implemented the Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative (WHTI).

I think they are correct and for that reason I would like to encourage anyone who is thinking of traveling in the next year to make sure they have a valid passport.

At the moment turnaround time for processing is 6 weeks (working days) if people send in their applications by mail or courier to Passport Canada. Keep in mind this is the case if the applications are in order. If applications are not in order they will most certainly be delayed.

If constituents utilize the receiving agents we have in Kelowna, the wait time is reduced to 5 weeks (working days).

We have two receiving agents in our riding: one is located at the Service Canada Centre at 471 Queensway Avenue. Hours of operation are Monday to Friday 8:30 am to 4 pm. There is no additional charge for this service.

The second is located at the Canada Post outlet located at the Banks Centre, 2453 Hwy 97 North. Hours of operation are Monday to Friday from 8:30 am to 3 PM. There is an additional charge of $15.90 (includes GST) for this service.

In both cases applications will be reviewed, sent to Ottawa for processing and returned to the applicant by courier.

If you have further questions I encourage you to go to the Passport Canada website at www.passport.gc.ca. If you cannot access the web then feel free to call my office and speak with Linda at 470-5075.

I know the entire process is of great frustration to us all. Passport Canada is moving forward and although nothing is official, I have reason to believe that announcements will be made in the new year that will help to ease our passport woes.

Until then, I encourage everyone who thinks they will be traveling to get a passport in plenty of time to avoid disappointment and if you run into trouble at any stage know that I and my staff are here to help where we can.