Canada says its updating one of the most “powerful and respected travel documents world.”
Sean Fraser, Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship said today that the new passport has been redesigned from cover to cover with state-of-the-art security features and new artwork, maintaining its status as one of the most secure and universally accepted travel documents in the world for all Canadians.
Security features include a new polycarbonate data page—a technology similar to Canada’s driver’s licences, laser engraved personal information which will make information less prone to tampering, a Kinegram over the main photo and a custom see-through window with a secondary image of the passport holder.
The Minister said that the historic designs have been replaced with iconic imagery of Canada’s natural beauty throughout the four seasons. He said that the changes have been made with diversity and inclusion kept in mind.
“The new passport will start rolling out later this summer. Until then, the current passport remains secure and reliable, so Canadians with valid passports will only need to renew them when they are getting close to their normal renewal date. More details regarding the roll-out will be provided at a later dates.”
In addition to this announcement, the Minister said that starting later this fall, Canadians will be able to renew their passport, pay their fees, and upload their photograph securely and conveniently online.
While the change was applauded by many, some groups are not happy with the removal of historic images.
One of the most vocal critics has been the Royal Canadian Legion, who has said that they’re “disappointed by the decision to remove an image that signifies the sacrifices made for the very sort of freedom the passport provides.”
