Government of Canada announces important improvements to Passport services and the release of the first State of Service report

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Employment and Social Development Canada

Mar 07, 2025, 10:28 ET

Government guarantees passports in 30 days or it's free

OTTAWA, ON, March 7, 2025 /CNW/ - Today, Minister of Citizens' Services, Terry Beech released the first State of Service Report, a milestone in the Government of Canada's commitment to service delivery excellence, efficiency, and accountability. Minister Beech also announced important enhancements to passport services: a new 30-business-day service guarantee, or your passport will be free, and the launch of online passport renewals.

State of Service Report Highlights

As part of the government's commitment to transparency and efficiency, a new passport service guarantee is being introduced. Effective later this year, any complete passport application—whether submitted online, in person, or by mail—will be processed within 30 business days, or it will be free. If the government fails to process the application within that period, applicants will receive a full refund of their passport fees.

The Government of Canada is making significant progress in modernizing passport services to improve accessibility and convenience. In December 2024, the government began piloting online passport renewals, allowing eligible Canadians to renew their passports from the comfort of their homes.

Minister Beech also announced a new passport processing and print centre in Surrey, British Columbia; expanded 10-business day passport service to 24 Service Canada Centres since 2022, including in Iqaluit, NU and Yellowknife, NT, bringing the total to 60 locations; and the implementation of a full-service passport office in Charlottetown, PEI, in the near future.

Since its launch in December 2023, the Canadian Dental Care Plan (CDCP) has received over 3.8 million applications, with 1.5 million Canadians already receiving care. The program is set to expand later in 2025 to include adults aged 18–64, ensuring more Canadians have access to essential dental services.

Enhancements to the Employment Insurance (EI) program have significantly improved efficiency. Call centre wait times have dropped from 18 minutes in 2022 to just 4 minutes today. The recently introduced EI Benefits Estimator processes approximately 4,500 transactions per day, helping Canadians understand their benefit entitlements more efficiently.

Advancements in EI processing automation have streamlined operations, with machine learning and AI automatically triaging 40,000 claims, processing 100,000 work items, and reducing workloads by 8,300 items per month.

Through the Benefit Delivery Modernization (BDM) programme, the government is upgrading decades-old infrastructure to ensure Canadians receive critical benefits like Old Age Security, Employment Insurance, and the Canada Pension Plan through a more secure and reliable system.

Social Insurance Number (SIN) automation is also transforming service delivery. The introduction of eSIN automation will create a fully digital SIN application process, reducing wait times from five days to under five minutes. Additionally, the SIN@Entry program, launching this year, will further simplify the process for newcomers to Canada, eliminating the need to stand in line at a Service Canada Centre.

Quotes

"Citizen's Services was created to champion service excellence and to improve government efficiency. With new digital options including online passport renewals, SIN online and digital credentials, Canadians can expect to spend less time in line or waiting on hold. This means you don't need to take time off work, find childcare or pay for parking to access government services. In fact, you will increasingly be able to access government services from anywhere in Canada 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. Our State of Service report demonstrates how we are focused on improving services for all Canadians while reducing the cost of government at the same time."
Minister of Citizens' Services, Terry Beech

"Our government is working to make services more efficient, affordable, and better suited to the needs of Canadians. We are modernizing service delivery and improving the passport program to reduce wait times and costs while ensuring Canadians can access the support they need without unnecessary barriers. This State of Service update provides Canadians with an opportunity to learn more about the improvements we are making to simplify their lives."
Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Citizens' Services, the Honourable Stéphane Lauzon

Quick facts

  • The launch of the online Passport Status Checker has provided convenience to Canadians, with over 833,000 users tracking their applications without waiting on hold. Since 2021, passport issuance has surged by 315%, with 5.4 million passports expected to be issued in 2025.
  • Since the launch of online passport renewals, nearly 1,000 Canadians have successfully renewed their passports online.
  • There are 582 Service Canada points of service that offer passport services across Canada.
  • For 2024–25, Service Canada expects to receive up to 5.74 million passport applications.
  • Starting in March 2025, seniors aged 65 and up, children and persons with disabilities can apply to renew their existing dental benefits if they have filed their taxes and received their Notice of Assessment.
  • The average wait time at the CDCP call centre is less than 35 seconds.
  • The average wait time at the EI call centre has significantly improved (4 minutes) since 2022 (18 minutes).

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SOURCE Employment and Social Development Canada

Contacts: For media enquiries, please contact: Teodor Gaspar, Director of Communications, Office of the Minister of Citizens' Services, [email protected]; Media Relations Office, Employment and Social Development Canada, 819-994-5559, [email protected]

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Employment and Social Development Canada

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Government of Canada