(Ottawa) A Quebecer finds himself without a passport just weeks before a trip to the United States because of the federal officers’ strike. Benoit Giguère submitted his application on Monday, two days before the strike began. Today he fears having to cancel everything.
“In a way, they took my passport hostage,” he laments in an interview.
His document was due to expire in July, but he wanted to get a new one, believing that the United States requires a passport that is valid for at least six months after the end of their trip. However, Canadians are exempt from this rule.
Mr Giguère had requested the express service for fear of not receiving it on time in the event of a strike, but it was turned down as his departure is not scheduled until May 18. His new passport should be available on June 1stah May, but he doesn’t know if he’ll get it now.
Only passports printed before the start of the strike can be collected, Employment and Social Development Secretary Karina Gould’s spokeswoman said on Thursday.
The minister had already signaled on Wednesday that “the majority of Canadians” will not be able to apply for or renew passports because their issuance is not considered an essential service under the law, except “in an emergency or humanitarian order.”
She put the number of requests that would accumulate for each week of disruption at 85,000.
The strike, a few months before the summer holidays, conjures up the specter of a new passport crisis.
Incurable food practitioner. Tv lover. Award-winning social media maven. Internet guru. Travel aficionado.
;Composite=(type=URL,url=https://images.radio-canada.ca/v1/assets/elements/16x9/outdated-content-2013.png),gravity=SouthEast,placement=Over,location=(0,0),scale=1)
