The new Canadian passport has been unveiled by Immigration Minister Sean Fraser and Minister of Families, Children, and Social Development Karina Gould.
It should be noted that the redesigning of the passport has been underway since 2013. According to the government, passport redesigning is crucial to add more advanced security features and prevent counterfeiting.
The new passport has security features integrated to protect the identities of Canadians. Sean Fraser confirmed that the new Canadian passport would have the holder’s personal information laser engraved instead of being ink-printed, and the document will include a polycarbonate data page. These measures will increase the durability of the data page while making it resistant to counterfeiting and tampering. Moreover, the passport has a custom transparent window with a secondary image of the passport holder, a temperature-sensitive ink feature, and a variable laser image.
Furthermore, the minister also stated that the new design captures the natural heritage of Canada. It seems that the design was finalized after consulting various stakeholders.
Minister Karina Gould said that some Canadians could get one of the old passports in the summer during the transition period. However, rest assured those passports continue to be secure and valid.
According to the latest statistics from Passport Canada, passport applications submitted in 2023 so far amount to 209,548. In contrast, 210,171 passports have been granted.
Don’t forget Passport Canada recently went through processing delays because of the strike by the Public Service Alliance of Canada, affecting more than 155,000 federal workers. The number of applications processed dropped by 45% during the week of April 17-23 and April 24-30.
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