Bloc Québécois Leader Yves-François Blanchet slammed the Liberal government for the long wait times at passport offices.."There’s something terrible when in a free and democratic country, people are lined up with tickets and numbers, and there doesn’t seem to be enough for people who want to leave tomorrow or the day after," Blanchet said on Wednesday..With the lifting of COVID-related travel restrictions last week, the demand for passports in Canada has spiked. While the federal government hired more than 600 passport workers in January of 2022, that has not been enough to deal with the backlog..In Quebec, people hoping to obtain passports have been forced to wait in long lines outside Service Canada locations. Some claim they arrived hours before the office opened, while others even camped out overnight. .Some Quebecers said they have been waiting months for their applications to be processed, while others claimed they were forced to miss their flights to international destinations..Blanchet told reporters he was also concerned with reports that media outlets were being told by security that they can't speak with those waiting in line, as Service Canada property is federal territory..Video footage posted to Twitter on Wednesday showed security guards approaching journalists filming the crowds at the Guy-Favreau complex in Montreal and telling them to stay on the sidewalk.."That’s quite something," Blanchet said. "So if you want to step on federal territory, you don’t have the rights you would have anywhere else. And this is being done under scrutiny from security services and police."."What the hell is that?" he asked..Blanchet also criticized Prime Minister Justin Trudeau for flying to Rwanda while Canadians are left in a "terrible situation."."When he flies, it's our money. When those people waiting for the passport fly, it’s their money, which is at the risk of being simply lost," he said..Blanchet said the federal government should consider compensating those who suffer financial losses because of processing delays. He also called for the prime minister to display a "minimum of compassion" for those still waiting in line. ."I can't believe thousands of people would swallow damage caused precisely by the government's lack of basic planning," he said. .In an interview with CBC Radio's The House, Trudeau called the situation "unacceptable," and said he understood the concern among families facing the delays.."There's a lot of disruption as the world comes back from COVID. But that's why we're working night and day to make sure that people get their passports," Trudeau said.."We're processing tens of thousands of them every week. We're making sure we're delivering as fast as possible what people need and expect from their government."
