Passport Canada was an independent,

special operating agency A special operating agency is a designation given to a government organization within a department or agency of the Government of Canada that has some management flexibility, independence, and separate accountability. They function, without legisla ...

of the

Government of Canada The government of Canada (french: gouvernement du Canada) is the body responsible for the federal administration of Canada. A constitutional monarchy, the Crown is the corporation sole, assuming distinct roles: the executive, as the ''Crown ...

with bureaucratic oversight provided through

Foreign Affairs and International Trade Canada Global Affairs Canada (GAC; french: Affaires mondiales Canada; AMC)''Global Affairs Canada'' is the applied title under the Federal Identity Program; the legal title is Department of Foreign Affairs, Trade and Development (). is the department o ...

. Formerly known as the Passport Office prior to June 2006, Passport Canada was responsible for issuing, revoking, withholding, and recovering

Canadian passport A Canadian passport (french: passeport canadien) is the passport issued to citizens of Canada. It enables the bearer to enter or re-enter Canada freely; travel to and from other countries in accordance with visa requirements; facilitates the p ...

s, and it was the sole issuer of them (except for emergency and temporary passports that may be issued by a Canadian mission abroad). The agency operated under the auspices of the ''Canadian Passport Order'' which defined the agency. Due to its status as a special operating agency, Passport Canada was financed through the fees collected for issuing passports and other travel documents. It did not receive direct funding from the federal government. Passport Canada became defunct on 1 July 2013, after the amended Canadian Passport Order came into effect.

Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC; french: Immigration, Réfugiés et Citoyenneté Canada)Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada is the applied title under the Federal Identity Program since 2015; the legal title is Departm ...

replaced Passport Canada as the passport issuing authority on that date. Employment and Social Development Canada, through Service Canada, is responsible for the delivery of the passport program on behalf of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada. Service Canada delivers in-person passport services in passport offices and at Service Canada Centres in Canada.

Canadian Passport Order

The Canadian Passport Order is an

Order in Council An Order-in-Council is a type of legislation in many countries, especially the Commonwealth realms. In the United Kingdom this legislation is formally made in the name of the monarch by and with the advice and consent of the Privy Council ('' Ki ...

made under the authority of the

royal prerogative The royal prerogative is a body of customary authority, privilege and immunity, recognized in common law and, sometimes, in civil law jurisdictions possessing a monarchy, as belonging to the sovereign and which have become widely vested in th ...

. First passed in 1981, it has been amended several times. Under the previous ''Canadian Passport Regulations'', which the Order superseded, residents of Canada could obtain a passport by completing an application and sending it in by mail to the

Department of External Affairs In many countries, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs is the government department responsible for the state's diplomacy, bilateral, and multilateral relations affairs as well as for providing support for a country's citizens who are abroad. The entit ...

without having to prove their Canadian citizenship. It specifies who is eligible for a

, as well as the procedure and application process for obtaining one. Under the Order, the

Governor-in-Council The King-in-Council or the Queen-in-Council, depending on the gender of the reigning monarch, is a constitutional term in a number of states. In a general sense, it would mean the monarch exercising executive authority, usually in the form of ap ...

has the authority to revoke or refuse a passport on grounds specified in the Order. A passport may not be refused or revoked on grounds not specified in the Order. The Order established the Passport Office (later Passport Canada) as a

to oversee the distribution of passports to Canadian citizens. Following amendments in 2013, Passport Canada was dissolved and responsibilities for issuing Canadian passports were transferred to the Passport Program of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada.

Auditor General's Report

In April 2005, the

Auditor General of Canada The Auditor General of Canada is an officer of the Parliament of Canada to aid accountability and oversight by conducting independent financial audits of federal government operations. These audits provide members of parliament with objective e ...

Sheila Fraser Sheila Fraser (born September 16, 1950) served as Auditor General of Canada from 2001 to 2011. Early life and education Fraser was born in Dundee, Quebec, Canada to Kenneth Fraser (1917-2005), a Quebec Member of the National Assembly for Huntin ...

gave a scathing report on Passport Canada, writing that employees of the agency lack proper

security clearance A security clearance is a status granted to individuals allowing them access to classified information (state or organizational secrets) or to restricted areas, after completion of a thorough background check. The term "security clearance" is ...

. Prior to the Auditor General's report, Passport Canada had signed a Memorandum of Understanding with

Corrections Canada The Correctional Service of Canada (CSC; french: Service correctionnel du Canada), also known as Correctional Service Canada or Corrections Canada, is the Canadian federal government agency responsible for the incarceration and rehabilitation of ...

to obtain a full list of inmates' names, as they are ineligible for a passport. Follow-up reports were issued in 2007—which noted continuing control issues—and 2009—where satisfactory progress was observed, especially in light of the

Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative The Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative (WHTI) is the implementation of the requirement to show a passport or other acceptable document to enter the United States, for nationals of certain North American jurisdictions who were previously exempt ...

introduced by the United States.

References

{{Canada-gov-stub 1981 establishments in Canada 2013 disestablishments in Canada Passport Order Former Canadian federal departments and agencies Government agencies established in 1981 Government agencies disestablished in 2013 Special operating agencies of Canada

Canadian Passport Order

Auditor General's Report

See also

References