Our Agency
Passport Canada is defined by the Canadian Passport Order
and is responsible for issuing, revoking, withholding, recovering and the use of Canadian passports. It provides guidance to missions issuing
passports abroad and supervises all matters relating to Canadian travel documents.
Passport Canada has four regional operations: Western, Ontario, Central and Eastern. There are
33 passport issuing offices
across the country from St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador, to Victoria, British Columbia.
In 1990, Passport Canada underwent a major transformation - it became a Special Operating Agency (SOA).
It is one of the first five Special Operating Agencies set up by the Government of Canada to improve
services to Canadians. While Passport Canada is a government institution, an agency of
Foreign Affairs and International Trade Canada,
it operates much like a private sector enterprise.
Passport Canada finances its operations entirely from the fees charged for passports and other
travel documents and must generate sufficient revenues to meet expenditures. There is no annual
parliamentary appropriation, and the service is supported by applicants rather than taxpayers.
Passport Canada operates under a revolving fund which allows it to accumulate an annual surplus
(or deficit) of up to $4 million. Passport Canada can also carry over surplus revenues from year
to year to offset future shortfalls.
As a Special Operating Agency, Passport Canada has greater management flexibility to achieve
results. In exchange for its increased autonomy, Passport Canada is accountable for meeting
demanding performance standards.
Passport Canada publishes two major corporate documents: the Business Plan and the Annual Report.
These documents are essential management tools used in the development and implementation of the long-term
strategies and short-term business objectives of Passport Canada. These documents are also used by the
Agency to evaluate its performance.
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The Business Plan identifies the business goals and objectives of Passport
Canada for the next fiscal year. It outlines the strategies for achieving them and forecasts
required resources.
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The Annual Report
evaluates the major activities of Passport Canada and accounts for its financial performance in
the preceding fiscal year.
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