Expedited passport service in Charlottetown 'working exceptionally well,' MP says

The expedited passport service being offered at the Service Canada office in Charlottetown has sped up turnaround times considerably, the MP for Charlottetown says.

Over 3,000 passports have been processed at the office since it started offering the expedited service back in August, with Islanders getting their passports in 10 business days if they pick them up at the city's Jean Canfield Building, Sean Casey told Laura Chapin onIsland Morning.

Getting them mailed takes about twice as long, he said.

"It's been working exceptionally well," he said. "The amount of traffic coming through our office has come down significantly because the service is now significantly better."

The office was one of 13 rapid-service sites that launched across the country last year to deal with a backlog that led to long lines and wait times in Canada.

Last week Karina Gould, the minister in charge of the passport program, announced that the backlog has now been "virtually eliminated" and that processing times are back to what they were before the COVID-19 pandemic.

"Service Canada wasn't ready for the onslaught and it was a long time for them to get staffed up significantly to knock down the backlog," Casey said. "But they've succeeded and done that. The experience in Charlottetown isn't unique."

In-person appointments for passport assistance are booking about a month out, he said.

If people are in a rush, Casey recommends they line up for a drop-in appointment so they're served "within a few hours."

Full-service passport office coming next year, Casey says

The Island is still on track to get a full-service passport office which could offer same-day emergency service in 2024, Casey said.

He said the biggest reason for the holdup is that the office would require a sophisticated printer that's able to print passports with all the required security measures.

"With supply chain issues and how specialized this equipment is, there's a wait and we're in the queue and we're about a year away," he said.