At Least 185,000 Passports Delayed Amid Ongoing Canada Post Strike

At least 185,000 passports are being held by Service Canada due to an ongoing postal worker strike, leaving many unable to travel for the holidays.

The governmental department that operates Service Canada, Employment and Social Development Canada (ESDC), told TMR it has held thousands of passports ready to be shipped since Nov. 8 – a week before Canada Post workers went on strike. 

Those who have passports ready to be mailed can request in-person pickup instead, either by contacting the federal passport program or by visiting a Service Canada location.  

The ESDC told TMR that pickup is available in 60 Service Canada locations across the country, noting “by holding residential mail several days in advance of a work stoppage, Service Canada has reduced the risk of having any passports held in Canada Post distribution centres.” 

The passports currently being held will be mailed out once regular mail service resumes.

According to the Government of Canada website, those who wish to have their passports changed to in-person pickup need to prove urgent need (i.e. proof of travel), and there may be additional fees. For urgent pickup, this is typically $110, and express pickup (two to nine days) is $50.

ESDC told TMR there is not a set wait time for transfer requests. For a client requesting a transfer, the pickup date is arranged based on their travel date or need.

For those whose passports are already in the postal system, there aren’t any other options.

Canada Post has entered its fourth week of labor disruption, following stalled negotiations between the mail service and the Canadian Union of Postal Workers (CUPW). The key issue the dispute is wages and the expansion of service to include weekend deliveries.