The Canadian federal government announced the establishment of a new committee task force on June 25, led by 10 ministers, to help resolve the massive backlog of immigration applications and major delays in passport processing.
Canadian federal Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced on June 25 the establishment of a new committee to improve the quality of government services, focusing on reducing waiting times for Canadians.
In a statement announcing the formation of the new committee's task force, Prime Minister Trudeau said the federal government knows delays are unacceptable and will continue to do everything it can to improve the delivery of services in an efficient and timely manner.
Trudeau said the new task force will help guide the government to better meet the changing needs of Canadians and continue to provide them with the high-quality services they need and deserve.
Trudeau said that as we recover from the pandemic and need to adapt to a rapidly changing world, more and more Canadians are once again relying on government services, but are now experiencing far from acceptable delays.
The new Council Task Force will drive action to improve the processing of passport and immigration applications by identifying priority areas for action and outlining short and long-term solutions, with a focus on reducing waiting times, clearing backlogs and improving overall service quality.
The task force will also monitor the situation at Canadian airports as labor shortages continue to cause delays to air travel around the world.
Ten cabinet members will lead the new committee, which will review how services are delivered and identify gaps and areas for improvement.
The list of these 10 cabinet ministers is as follows:
- Mary Ng, Minister of International Trade, Export Promotion, Small Business and Economic Development
- Dominic LeBlanc, Minister of Intergovernmental Affairs, Infrastructure and Communities
- Diane Lebouthillier, Minister of Revenue
- Marci Ien , Minister of Women, Gender Equality and Youth
- Marc Miller, Minister of Crown-Indigenous Relations
- Randy Boissonnault, Minister of Tourism and Deputy Minister of Finance
- Mona Fortier, Minister of Treasury
- Ahmed Hussen, Minister of Housing and Diversity
- Gudie Hutchings, Minister of Rural Economic Development
- Harjit S. Sajjan, Minister of International Development
Trudeau added in the statement that the relevant ministers, including Immigration Minister Sean Fraser, Transport Minister Omar Alghabra and Social Development Minister Karina Gould will be an ex-officio member of the working group.
Trudeau also said that other cabinet members may be invited to participate in the working group meeting to provide opinions and suggestions on issues related to their respective positions.
Trudeau said: "We know that service delays, especially in recent months, are unacceptable. We will continue to do everything we can to improve these services in an efficient and timely manner, and this new task force will help "Guide the government's work to better meet the changing needs of Canadians and continue to provide them with the high-quality services they need and deserve," Trudeau tweeted on June 25 when he announced the formation of the new committee. Said: "Canadians deserve high-quality and efficient government services... Delays in immigration applications and passport processing are unacceptable."
The waiting time for Canada's recent passport applications has caused many citizens to complain. According to data provided by the Ministry of Immigration, the Canadian Immigration Department currently has a backlog of 2.4 million applications, and the Minister of Immigration said that immigration draws for all categories will resume in early July.
