| Passport Canada |
Article Index for Passport |
Website Links For Passport |
Information AboutPassport Canada |
| CATEGORIES ABOUT PASSPORT CANADA | |
| canadian federal departments and agencies | |
|
ISSUES Abdurahman Khadr In July 2004, Abdurahman Khadr was denied a Canadian passport by explicit decision of Foreign Affairs Minister Bill Graham . To achieve this, Graham invoked the '' Royal Prerogative '', a rarely-used power usually reserved for ceremonial duties, claiming the decision was "in the interest of the national security of Canada and the protection of Canadian troops in Afghanistan." Khadr and his attorney, noted Toronto lawyer Clayton Ruby , have announced they will appeal the decision. Khadr's appeal of the government's use of . Auditor General's Report In April 2005 , the Auditor General Of Canada Sheila Fraser gave a scathing report on Passport Canada, claiming that employees of the agency lack proper Security Clearance . Prior to the Auditor General's report, Passport Canada had signed a Memorandum of Understanding with Corrections Canada to obtain a full list of inmates' names, as they are ineligible for a passport. Passport requirement to enter the United States That same month, the United States Department Of Homeland Security announced that most Canadians will soon require a passport to enter that country. This requirement could come into effect as early as December 2005 , but will not be fully implemented until 2007 . The new passport requirement will affect citizens of Canada , who currently only need to show identification (usually a driver's license) and proof of Canadian citizenship (usually a birth certificate) upon request to enter the United States. It is expected that the demand for passports will increase in light of the new policy. In response to this policy, the Canadian government enacted a new rule stating that most Americans will also require a passport to enter Canada, though they, like Canadians, would also need a passport to reenter the United States. Five-Year Validity Many have suggested that Canada should extend the validity of Canadian passports for adults from five years to ten in order to reduce the cost of bearing a passport''Globe and Mail''. the Passport Office asserted that a five-year period of validity was desirable in order to deter counterfeiting and to keep Canadian passports up-to-date with the latest technology''Toronto Star''. April 25 , 2002 issue, page K.01. New Zealand passports are also valid for a maximum of five years, but Israeli citizens can extend their passports up to ten years {Link without Title} . French-English passport proposal In September 2003 '' Le Devoir '' printed a piece calling on the Passport Office to give individual Canadians the choice of which official language appeared first in their passports, English or French . The Passport Office initially claimed that this was not allowed under international norms, but it was shown that question no. 10 on Belgian passport applications {Link without Title} (PDF) already asked Belgian citizens which of its three official languages (Dutch, French or German) should appear first in their passports. REFERENCES SEE ALSO
EXTERNAL LINKS
|
|
|