By Arthur Weinreb
Monday, June 11, 2007
Foreign Affairs Minister Peter MacKay announced changes that will make it easier for Canadian citizens to obtain a passport. While you would think that in this post 9/11 era, governments would be introducing tougher measures to insure that only those entitled to the document can get them, Canada has apparently decided to go in the opposite direction.
Many of the changes make sense, especially those new provisions that will deal with passport renewals. Passport holders who had to show proof of Canadian citizenship when originally obtaining a passport will no longer have to show such proof when renewing the document. After all, the chances that a Canadian citizen has in the interim, either renounced his or her citizenship or had it revoked by the government is more or less zero. And those seeking to have their passports renewed will no longer need the application form signed by a guarantor who will attest that he or she has known the applicant for a period of two years.
What is troubling are the changes that are being made for those who are obtaining a passport for the first time. The current procedures require that a guarantor sign the document indicating that they know the person and have known him or her for a period of at least two years. Only members of certain professions are currently able to act as guarantors. There are somewhat cumbersome provisions to allow applicants who are unable to find anyone in those designated professions to act as guarantors to still be able to obtain a passport. Under the proposed changes that will take place on August 15, a guarantor can be anyone over the age of 18 that is either the holder of a valid Canadian passport or has a passport that has been expired for a year or less.
Now it has been rumoured that there are terrorists and assorted other bad guys who are walking around with Canadian passports that they are not entitled to; passports that have been obtained fraudulently. Under the proposed changes a member of an Al Qaeda sleeper cell who possesses a fraudulent passport can act as a guarantor for all his jihadi friends when they seek to obtain the passport that is admired all around the world including in the cave that Osama bin Laden calls home. Just the idea that a holder of a fraudulently obtained passport can act as a guarantor to someone else applying for a passport that they are not entitled to is absurd.
Along with the rumour of fraudulent passports it is also rumoured that many Canadians are cynical about politicians including those in Canada's still New Government. Those people may be wondering if these passport changes have more to do with Peter MacKay's re-election chances than with Canada's security. After all, MacKay represents a Nova Scotia riding and Atlantic Canada is not a fertile breeding ground at the moment for Stephen Harper and the Tories.
This was a typical government half measure; going through the motions to make it appear that something worthwhile is being accomplished. If anyone can now act as a guarantor on a passport application, why not simply do away with the red tape of requiring a guarantor in the first place? It would take a real conservative government to cut down government bureaucracy and Harper's Tories can hardly be called real conservatives. They are caving in to the nanny state mentality which sees Canadians who now need (or want) a passport for the first time whining and complaining about the long line-ups at passport offices and now have to be helped by the government because they were too lazy to apply for a passport in a timely manner.
In the end, the proposed changes may not make a difference in the way passports are illegally or improperly obtained. But the optics are bad. We are loosening procedures at a time when the country should at least appear to be tightening restrictions and beefing up security measures. But passport applicants will be happy and more likely to vote Conservative during the next election. Unfortunately, that's all that seems to matter.
Pursuant to Title 17 U.S.C. 107, other copyrighted work is provided for educational purposes, research, critical comment, or debate without profit or payment. If you wish to use copyrighted material from this site for your own purposes beyond the 'fair use' exception, you must obtain permission from the copyright owner. Views are those of authors and not necessarily those of Canada Free Press. Content is Copyright 1997-2024 the individual authors. Site Copyright 1997-2024 Canada Free Press.Com Privacy Statement