Want to go to U.S.? Get passport, PM says

[CHIMO]

CANCUN, Mexico — Canadians must quickly get used to the idea that they’ll soon have to show a passport every time they want to go to the United States, even if it’s just across to Buffalo by car, Prime Minister Stephen Harper said today.

Harper acknowledged at the end of two days of meetings with his U.S. and Mexican counterparts that there’s no turning back on Washington’s plan to demand so-called secure documentation at the border.

He also said little progress was made on other key issues, including softwood lumber.

The prime minister said that Washington won’t budge on the border.

So what did Harper accomplish?

http://www.thestar.com/NASApp/cs/ContentServer?pagename=thestar/Layout/Article_Type1&c=Article&cid=1143806479310&call_pageid=968332188492&col=968793972154

Well maybe he has shifted the focus from lumber to passports?

So now if he gains on the passport issue he can give on the softwood?

And all those molecules of oil in the pipeline don't need passports. How convenient to be able to win on such an important matter to commerce.

[IntravenousDemilo]

1. Passports are generally a good idea anyway.

Why get a separate identity card (especially with biometric data that could lead to god-knows-what private info being leaked out) that's good only for travel between Canada and the States, when you can get a non-invasive document that will allow you to travel anywhere in the world?

[Siyahamba]

3. It's expensive and time-consuming to apply.

$85 or so over five years may not be much for some people, but it will likely be enough to deter people who don't go to the US very often. Plus the whole getting references, getting a notary, and all the other paperwork is a deterrant too.

[Lisa]

7. it would be more worthwhile if they had a 10-year span

I think that's what the US ones are.

[MrPrax]

2. Is Harper

going to cut the cost of a passport? Is Harper going to make the 'guarantor' section less onerous and a little less 19th century?

1. Be a Canadian citizen residing in Canada and must be accessible to Passport Canada for verification.
2. Have known you personally for at least two years.:eyes:
3. Be included in one of the following groups:
* Chiropractor
* Geoscientists of Nova Scotia, Ontario and Quebec
* Judge, magistrate
* Lawyer (member of a provincial bar association), notary in Quebec
* Mayor
* Medical doctor or dentist
* Minister of religion authorized under provincial law to perform marriages
* Notary public
* Optometrist
* Person occupying a senior administrative position in a community college (includes CEGEP)
* Pharmacist
* Police officer (municipal, provincial or RCMP)
* Postmaster
* Principal of a primary or secondary school
* Professional accountant (member of APA, CA, CGA, CMA, PA, RPA)
* Professional engineer (P.Eng., Eng. in Quebec.)
* Senior administrator or teacher in a university
* Veterinarian
Passport Canada

Legally, this is two classes of citizenship in a country whose Charter of Rights, under 15 (1), calls for 'equality'.

But let's not quibble over why professionals are being essentially 'drafted' into the 'war on terror' as they are seen a linchpin in a national security scheme that is very MUCH the federal governments responsiblity.

Certainly if any of those 'guarantors' mistakenly signs a passport, I am sure they will not be under any further scruntiny by homeland security here, there or anywhere they might go.

Apparantly only SOME Canadians are responsible enough to 'judge' your citizenship and check your ID--the idea of simply showing your collection of government-issued ID to a government office simply won't do...

Oh you can pay out of pocket, if you don't happen to have a lot of professional buddies to vouch for you, to have an oath sworn under the "Declaration in Lieu of Guarantor"...but that takes LONGER...

Kinda quaint that the government thinks these professions are above 'passport' fraud and can't be 'terrorists' like the REST of us lowly servants that must submit our papers to the scrutiny of another private citizen, whose relationship might be entirely professional in nature.

Pharmacist??!! is deemed more worthy than a school teacher, apparantly?

Rotten luck if you don't have a personal relationship with your bank manager or you go to a walk-in clinic with NO assigned family doctor that KNOWS you for two years.

Rant off

[Minstrel Boy]

4. Better a Canadian passport than

a North American "letter of transit."

At this stage, anything that distinguishes us a little bit is worth the inconvenience.

[Monkeybumper]

5. So you don't have 17 dollars a year or a dentist

That is what a passport costs and if you don't have a dentist or know attest one professional on that list witch has not really changed in 50 years you probably shouldn't be traveling out of the country any way .

[IntravenousDemilo]

6. What do you mean 17 dollars a year?

It's $87 for a basic 24-page adult passport.

[hopeisaplace]

9. yep that's absolutely right, and $15 for the photo...not to mention

the drive and wait I had to take to get to the passport office..
and I had to have a sitter watch my youngest that day as well to get
this done...and when I got there (was getting 6 passports..my whole family)
turned out the back of my birth certificate was torn off (an important part
appartently)...so didn't get mine that day...had to go online at home that afternoon and file for
a new birth certificate from the province I was born in...had it couriered to
me (needed it done right away)...which meant I paid for a rush birth certificate...
(many dollars cha ching cha ching)...then had to get another sitter for another and drive
back to the passport office that week and finally, yes it was done! I now have my
passport. *sigh* what a pain. But at least, I say *at least* it's done. Gheesh.
Passports for whole family, approaching $600.

[Canuck55]

11. I would guess he means...

That it costs $85.00 to get your passport that is valid for 5 years before renewal. The majority of people have usually had the same doctor for at least 2 years at some point. It's an issue if you are in sudden need of it, but if you are just going through the mail you can mail your page to a previous physician, even if you went to a clinic a few times over a period of time.

The 'known personally for at least two years' is actually pretty lax, but its in there so you can't just walk up to someone 'qualified' out of the blue and get them to notarize your form. It is idiotic though, you can go to any Notary Public in your town and have them 'certify' that you are who you are stating you are in writing and it will stand up in any court of law, but you have these bullshit hoops to jump to for passport. What drives me the most nuts is if you do want to apply in person, in BC for example we have 3 offices, 1 in Victoria, 1 in Downtown Vancouver, and 1 in Surrey (outlying part of greater Vancouver)... All 3 are within 3 hours of each other, 2 are within 40 minutes of each other if you hit all the lights. So if you are in Prince George and had something suddenly come up that required a passport asap your options are to drive 16 hours both ways or fly, both of which cost much more than the cost of the passport. I had this situation personally, except luckily it was only from Kelowna 4 hours away, and after going through the motions at the Gov't Building i could come up with absolutely nothing they did any different there that would not allow it to happen at any local E.I. Office: forms in order - check ; I.D. x 2 - check ; signature while they witness - check ; 'thanks for coming out'.

I dunno on this one, i'm kinda proud i have a passport. We have always just taken for granted that we can breeze into and out of the US with just your driver's license. As a Canadian citizen you can't enter Commonwealth UK, Australia or anywhere else on the planet legally without a passport. I've always found the fact that 85%+ in the US don't have one a little depressing, but really, if they aren't looking to try out a different culture they have most climate situations covered in house somewhere.

[MrPrax]

8. Yeah...

and to bad for you if your dentist happens to be only 'landed' instead of a Canadian citizen...happened to me once, had to scramble at the last minute.

But that's not the point I was making...

[auntAgonist]

10. I'm a Canadian Citizen, I have permanent resident status

in the USA. I wonder where I have to look to find out if I need a Canadian Passport for travel back and forth?

Anyone know?

thanks.

aA