Canada’s passport is getting a makeover тАФ with a new design that will feature more natural landscapes and wildlife┬аand fewer Canadian historical moments and monuments.
Speaking at a news conference on Wednesday,┬аMinister of Families, Children and Social Development Karina Gould and Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Minister Sean Fraser said the new design is the product of 10 years of consultation.
“We tried to take the feedback about what represents Canada,” Fraser said.
“One of the things that I heard was we want to celebrate our diversity and inclusion, we want to celebrate our natural environment …┬аand [we] tried to bake those elements into the design.”
The current passport pages feature┬аimages such as┬аParliament’s Centre Block, the Stanley Cup, the famous photo of the last spike going into the Canadian Pacific Railway, and photos of Nellie McClung and Terry Fox.┬аThe new passport displays animals (bears, narwhals and owls) and┬аnatural scenes, such as children jumping into a lake.
Fraser said a complete change in theme was necessary to improve the passport’s security.
“It makes it much harder to counterfeit,” Fraser said.
“It does make it easier when you maintain the same images for a significant period of time for counterfeiters to abuse the document and to produce fakes.”
‘Traditional Canadian images’
The new passport cover bears the same coat of arms as the current passport, but adds┬аa large maple leaf.
Gould said the new passport design reflects Canada.
“I think when you look at the images here, they are fairly traditional Canadian images,” she said.
“I mean, if you look at polar bears, and people jumping into a lake, and birds in the winter, I mean I think it really captures the spirit of who we are as Canadians.”
Gould defended the passport when reporters asked why┬аhistorical Canadian figures, monuments and┬аbuildings are not on the pages.
“I think a couple of the questions have been suggesting that there’s a partisan aspect to this,” Gould said.
“I think it’s important to say that this is not partisan. The design of this passport started 10 years ago┬аand this is really about ensuring the security of the document.”
Fraser said the design┬аchange was not the result of complaints heard during the consultation.
“There’s no feedback we received that people found our history offensive,” he said.
The Royal Canadian Legion criticized the redesign for removing an image of the Vimy Ridge Memorial.
“We are disappointed by the decision to remove an image that signifies the sacrifices made for the very sort of freedom the passport provides,” the Legion said in a media statement.
“The Vimy Memorial was a fundamental image, also representing a defining moment for Canada, a country emerging as an independent nation with limitless potential. Removing that image in the context of a design change and without knowing the rationale was, to put it bluntly, a poor decision.”
Passport contains new security features
Gould said that┬аproduction of the new passport will begin soon. The current passport is still valid for travel┬аand will be for up to 10 years. The government will start issuing the new passport later in the summer.
The passport features enhanced security features, including temperature-sensitive ink and ultraviolet images.
WATCH | See the new passport’s design and security features:
“The new passport includes state-of-the-art security features designed to keep Canadians’ identities safe, such as a polycarbonate data page тАФ a technology similar to Canada’s driver’s licences,” a┬аgovernment news release said.
“Passport holders’ personal information will now be laser engraved instead of being printed with ink, making the data page more durable and resistant to tampering and counterfeiting.”
The federal government started issuing the current version of the passport in 2013.
The government is also set to launch a new online renewal system for passports in the fall of 2023.
