Speech (House debate)

{
    "time": "2022-09-22 19:30:00",
    "attribution": {
        "en": "Ms. Ya'ara Saks (Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Families, Children and Social Development, Lib.)",
        "fr": "Mme Ya'ara Saks (secr\u00e9taire parlementaire de la ministre de la Famille, des Enfants et du D\u00e9veloppement social, Lib.)"
    },
    "content": {
        "en": "<p data-HoCid=\"7299932\" data-originallang=\"en\">Mr. Speaker, it is wonderful to be back in the House with colleagues and to see you in the chair. </p>\n<p data-HoCid=\"7299933\" data-originallang=\"en\">I want to thank my colleague across the way, the member for <a data-HoCid=\"278198\" href=\"/politicians/eric-duncan/\" title=\"Eric Duncan\">Stormont\u2014Dundas\u2014South Glengarry</a>, for his follow-up question. As a matter of fact, I have news on the progress that has been made over the summer to share with the House and colleagues who are here.</p>\n<p data-HoCid=\"7299934\" data-originallang=\"en\">I would like to point out and we need to acknowledge that Service Canada employees have been working flat out to deal with this unprecedented situation. They have taken countless days and hours and weeks, working overtime and on weekends, because we knew we needed to take this seriously and because we know members like my colleague across the way agreed with us that this was important to Canadians. </p>\n<p data-HoCid=\"7299935\" data-originallang=\"en\">Our Service Canada employees are deeply aware, as is the <a data-HoCid=\"278909\" href=\"/politicians/karina-gould/\" title=\"Karina Gould\">minister</a>, that the timely processing and delivery of passports is a vital service that has been severely disrupted in the aftermath of the COVID pandemic. The minister has made it clear in numerous public events and media interviews that fixing the problem is her priority, and that is exactly what she is doing. The figures change every day, but these examples help tell the story of the enormous efforts that are going into giving Canadians the service they deserve. </p>\n<p data-HoCid=\"7299936\" data-originallang=\"en\">Therefore, let us start with dates. Since April 1, Service Canada has issued over a million passports. For the week of September 12 to September 18, Service Canada issued 68,550 passports. Starting in the week of June 20, triage measures were implemented in 17 passport offices across the country. On July 25, Service Canada expanded the passport pickup service to five additional passport offices: Brampton, Whitby, Pointe-Claire, Calgary Sundance and Richmond.</p>\n<p data-HoCid=\"7299937\" data-originallang=\"en\">Here are a few more dates. On July 29, Service Canada announced that Canadians who mailed a completed application more than 20 business days ago and are travelling within the next 20 business days can visit any of our over 300 Service Canada centres to make a transfer request themselves. This guarantees that their application is processed in time for their travel. Service Canada continues to introduce new measures to improve passport service delivery and decrease wait times for Canadians as it works through the unprecedented demands and volume.</p>\n<p data-HoCid=\"7299938\" data-originallang=\"en\">For example, the triage system introduced this summer in 17 of our 35 passport offices has made a significant impact in reducing the line-ups. In addition to the existing passport offices offering pickup service to Canadians, Canadians can apply for and pick up their passport at the following Service Canada centres. I will list them, just so we all know: Trois-Rivi\u00e8res, Quebec; Sherbrooke, Quebec; Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario; Kingston, Ontario; Sudbury, Ontario; Charlottetown, P.E.I.; Red Deer, Alberta; and, Lethbridge, Alberta. Unlike the regular Service Canada centres, these eight locations offer 10-day service.</p>\n<p data-HoCid=\"7299939\" data-originallang=\"en\"> Canadians who need their passport in fewer than 10 business days will need to visit a passport office that offers express or urgent pickup service. The expansion of pickup sites will allow many Canadians who need to pick up their passports to do so closer to their homes, because, like the member across the way, we heard that distance was an issue. In fact, Service Canada is working toward in-person passport services within 50 kilometres of the homes of nearly all Canadians. Also, more scheduled outreach sites that pertain to certain passport services will be added in the coming weeks across the country, and I look forward to updating the member again.</p>\n<p data-HoCid=\"7299940\" data-originallang=\"en\">These challenges have been achieved by increased staffing, which has given Service Canada tools to vastly improve and expedite in-person service. Service Canada employees are working hard, putting in overtime on evenings and weekends to service Canadians in applying for their passports, and it is important we acknowledge that. I want to thank the member opposite for his question and for his advocacy.</p>",
        "fr": "<p data-HoCid=\"7299932\" data-originallang=\"en\">Monsieur le Pr\u00e9sident, c'est merveilleux d'\u00eatre de retour \u00e0 la Chambre avec mes coll\u00e8gues et de vous voir occuper le fauteuil.</p>\n<p data-HoCid=\"7299933\" data-originallang=\"en\">Je tiens \u00e0 remercier mon coll\u00e8gue d'en face, le d\u00e9put\u00e9 de <a data-HoCid=\"278198\" href=\"/politicians/eric-duncan/\" title=\"Eric Duncan\">Stormont\u2014Dundas\u2014South Glengarry</a>, de sa question compl\u00e9mentaire. En fait, j'ai des nouvelles \u00e0 communiquer \u00e0 la Chambre et aux d\u00e9put\u00e9s ici pr\u00e9sents au sujet des progr\u00e8s r\u00e9alis\u00e9s cet \u00e9t\u00e9.</p>\n<p data-HoCid=\"7299934\" data-originallang=\"en\">Je tiens \u00e0 souligner que les employ\u00e9s de Service Canada travaillent d'arrache-pied pour r\u00e9gler cette situation sans pr\u00e9c\u00e9dent. Nous devons en \u00eatre conscients. Ils ont fait des heures suppl\u00e9mentaires et travaill\u00e9 les fins de semaine pendant d'innombrables heures, journ\u00e9es et semaines parce que nous savions que nous devions prendre ce probl\u00e8me au s\u00e9rieux et que les d\u00e9put\u00e9s comme mon coll\u00e8gue d'en face \u00e9taient d'accord avec nous pour dire que c'\u00e9tait important pour les Canadiens.</p>\n<p data-HoCid=\"7299935\" data-originallang=\"en\">\u00c0 l'instar de la <a data-HoCid=\"278909\" href=\"/politicians/karina-gould/\" title=\"Karina Gould\">ministre</a>, les employ\u00e9s de Service Canada sont bien conscients que le traitement des demandes et l'envoi des passeports dans les meilleurs d\u00e9lais sont un service essentiel qui a \u00e9t\u00e9 gravement perturb\u00e9 dans la foul\u00e9e de la pand\u00e9mie de COVID\u201119. La ministre a clairement indiqu\u00e9 lors de plusieurs activit\u00e9s publiques et entrevues avec les m\u00e9dias que r\u00e9gler le probl\u00e8me est sa priorit\u00e9, et c'est exactement ce qu'elle fait. Les chiffres changent chaque jour, mais voici quelques exemples qui nous permettent de constater les efforts \u00e9normes qui sont d\u00e9ploy\u00e9s pour fournir aux Canadiens les services qu'ils m\u00e9ritent.</p>\n<p data-HoCid=\"7299936\" data-originallang=\"en\">Commen\u00e7ons donc par les dates. Depuis le 1<sup>er</sup> avril, Service Canada a d\u00e9livr\u00e9 plus de 1 million de passeports. Pour la semaine du 12 au 18 septembre, Service Canada a d\u00e9livr\u00e9 68 550 passeports. La semaine du 20 juin, des mesures de triage ont \u00e9t\u00e9 mises en place dans 17 bureaux des passeports dans l'ensemble du Canada. Le 25 juillet, Service Canada a commenc\u00e9 \u00e0 fournir le service de ramassage de passeports dans cinq autres bureaux des passeports: Brampton, Whitby, Pointe\u2011Claire, Calgary Sundance et Richmond.</p>\n<p data-HoCid=\"7299937\" data-originallang=\"en\">Voici encore quelques dates. Le 29 juillet, Service Canada a annonc\u00e9 que les Canadiens qui ont post\u00e9 une demande remplie il y a plus de 20 jours ouvrables et qui voyagent dans les 20 prochains jours ouvrables peuvent se rendre dans l'un des 300 centres de Service Canada pour pr\u00e9senter une demande de transfert eux-m\u00eames. Cela garantit que leur demande sera trait\u00e9e \u00e0 temps pour leur voyage. Service Canada continue de mettre en place de nouvelles mesures pour am\u00e9liorer la prestation des services de passeports et r\u00e9duire les temps d'attente pour les Canadiens, tout en s'effor\u00e7ant de r\u00e9pondre \u00e0 une demande et \u00e0 un volume sans pr\u00e9c\u00e9dent.</p>\n<p data-HoCid=\"7299938\" data-originallang=\"en\">Par exemple, le syst\u00e8me de triage mis en place cet \u00e9t\u00e9 dans 17 de nos 35 bureaux des passeports a eu une incidence importante sur la r\u00e9duction des files d'attente. En plus de pouvoir r\u00e9cup\u00e9rer leur passeport dans les bureaux des passeports existants offrant un service de ramassage, les Canadiens peuvent aussi les demander et les r\u00e9cup\u00e9rer dans les centres de Service Canada suivants. Je vais les \u00e9num\u00e9rer, pour que nous soyons tous au courant: Trois-Rivi\u00e8res, Qu\u00e9bec; Sherbrooke, Qu\u00e9bec; Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario; Kingston, Ontario; Sudbury, Ontario; Charlottetown, \u00cele\u2011du\u2011Prince\u2011\u00c9douard; Red Deer, Alberta; et Lethbridge, Alberta. Contrairement aux centres habituels de Service Canada, ces huit centres offrent un service de dix jours.</p>\n<p data-HoCid=\"7299939\" data-originallang=\"en\"> Les Canadiens qui ont besoin de leur passeport dans un d\u00e9lai de moins de dix jours ouvrables devront se rendre dans un bureau des passeports qui offre un service de ramassage express ou urgent. La hausse du nombre de lieux de ramassage permettra \u00e0 de nombreux Canadiens qui ont besoin de r\u00e9cup\u00e9rer leur passeport de le faire plus pr\u00e8s de chez eux, car, comme le d\u00e9put\u00e9 d'en face, nous avons entendu dire que la distance \u00e9tait un probl\u00e8me. En fait, Service Canada s'efforce d'offrir des services de passeport en personne \u00e0 moins de 50 kilom\u00e8tres du domicile de presque tous les Canadiens. De plus, d'autres points de services pr\u00e9vus pour certains services de passeport seront ajout\u00e9s au cours des prochaines semaines dans tout le pays, et j'ai h\u00e2te d'en informer \u00e0 nouveau le d\u00e9put\u00e9.</p>\n<p data-HoCid=\"7299940\" data-originallang=\"en\">Ces d\u00e9fis ont \u00e9t\u00e9 relev\u00e9s gr\u00e2ce \u00e0 l'augmentation des effectifs, ce qui a permis \u00e0 Service Canada d'am\u00e9liorer grandement et d'acc\u00e9l\u00e9rer les services en personne. Les employ\u00e9s de Service Canada travaillent tr\u00e8s fort. Ils font des heures suppl\u00e9mentaires le soir et la fin de semaine pour servir les Canadiens qui font une demande de passeport. C'est tr\u00e8s important de le reconna\u00eetre. Je tiens \u00e0 remercier le d\u00e9put\u00e9 d'en face de sa question et de ses efforts dans ce dossier.</p>"
    },
    "url": "/debates/2022/9/22/yaara-saks-1/",
    "politician_url": "/politicians/yaara-saks/",
    "politician_membership_url": "/politicians/memberships/4595/",
    "procedural": false,
    "source_id": "11811733",
    "h1": {
        "en": "Adjournment Proceedings",
        "fr": "Motion D'Ajournement"
    },
    "h2": {
        "en": "Passports",
        "fr": "Les passeports"
    },
    "document_url": "/debates/2022/9/22/",
    "related": {
        "document_speeches_url": "/speeches/?document=%2Fdebates%2F2022%2F9%2F22%2F"
    }
}