Canadians will pay more for passports starting March 31 after Immigration Minister Lena Diab quietly approved fee increases of up to $4 and introduced automatic yearly hikes tied to inflation — without public consultation.Blacklock's Reporter says in a Regulatory Impact Analysis Statement, Diab confirmed that “fees for travel documents will be adjusted each year to align with inflation,” meaning applicants will “be required to pay more” on an ongoing basis.Current passport fees range from $57 for a child’s document to $120 for a five-year adult passport and $160 for a 10-year passport.As of March 31, fees will rise by 2.7%, adding $4.32 to the cost of a 10-year passport. The new regulation ensures fees will automatically increase each year based on inflation.The department acknowledged it did not seek public input before implementing the changes. “The department did not consult publicly on these amendments,” the analysis stated.Diab said the passport program is undergoing a broader review that could lead to further increases..“The program is in the midst of a comprehensive fee structure review which will result in options for fee adjustments to account for the true cost of operations,” she wrote, adding that the review’s findings will eventually be subject to public consultation. In the meantime, she said indexing fees to inflation will prevent the program’s funding deficit from growing.The passport program recorded a $121 million deficit last year. However, previous internal audits attributed significant cost overruns to mismanagement rather than inflation.A 2024 Internal Audit of Governance and Financial Management of the Passport Revolving Fund found the service delivery model was “temporarily disrupted” and created major cash flow problems. Millions were required “over and above their initial budget allocation” to clear a backlog of applications..In a 2023 memo titled Processing Passports and Service Delivery, managers acknowledged that roughly half of employees were sent home to work remotely during the pandemic. When travel bans and lockdowns were lifted, officials failed to adequately prepare for a surge in applications. About 20% of employees resigned as processing delays worsened, leading to five- and six-hour lineups outside passport offices.At passport centres in Montréal, managers twice called police to maintain order among frustrated applicants waiting in long queues. Mail-in applicants were advised to wait three months or longer for processing.The passport program has operated at a deficit since 2009. In 2012, the previous Conservative government introduced the 10-year passport — then priced at $135 — in an effort to limit mounting financial losses.
