What should a Canadian passport look like?
The discussion about his appearance turns out to be really passionate.
Every ten years Canada "refreshes its passport". There is no surprise that a new design almost always provokes serious discussion. What to show on the passport and what should not be placed there? What to prioritize?
The last time it was refreshed was in 2013. Then the pages were decorated with images of the Confederate Fathers, the Vimy Ridge fallen in France, the construction of the Canadian Pacific Railway and national hero Terry Fox during his Marathon of Hope.
At the time, it seemed to everyone that these symbols represented the essence of the Canadian nation. Now the situation has changed, there are new versions of it. The Minister of Immigration Sean Fraser introduced a new passport design, replacing the heroic pages of national history with figures of citizens and universal images of the Canadian nation.
Canadian history is replaced by everyday motifs of Canadian life, pictures of work and labor.
Who criticizes changes
The change was expectedly met with criticism. It was the disappearance of the national symbols that prompted many politicians and prominent public figures to express the opinion that refreshing the passport was an attempt to "erase Canadian history."
The leader of the Conservative Party Pierre Poilievre, speaking in the House of Commons, blamed Liberal government for the decision.
“They erased Vimy Ridge to put in an image of a squirrel eating a nut. They erased Terry Fox, a guy who ran halfway across the country to fight cancer to put in a man raking leaves. And they erased Quebec City in order to put in what appears to be an image of a boyhood prime minister swimming at Harrington Lake. Could this prime minister be any more out of touch with Canadians? Why will the prime minister not stand up for our history, get connected to reality and keep the images in our passport that make us so proud to be Canadian?" said politician.
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The Royal Canadian Legion expressed disappointment that the government decided to get rid of the image of the Vimy Ridge memorial, that symbolizes the sacrifices made for the very freedom that the passport portrays."
"Removing that image in the context of a design change and without knowing the rationale was, to put it bluntly, a poor decision," the legion said in a statement.
Brad West, the mayor of Terry Fox’s hometown of Port Coquitlam, British Columbia, expressed similar disappointment
“Across this country, Terry Fox inspired and continues to inspire millions of Canadians. And millions of people around the world. And so we need more Terry Fox not less Terry Fox. And I just think this is a really bad decision. It should be addressed. It should be reversed.”
Sean Fraser anticipated such outbursts and therefore noted that the government consulted with several groups about the new design, which reinforced the need to reflect Canada's natural environment and diversity rather than the historical artifacts or symbols of which we are all very proud. Among the consultants were the Canadian Heritage and Indigenous communities.
Security is another reason for change. If you keep the old elements such familiar, well-known passport is easier to forge than a new one. The passport will also have a polycarbonate page that protects the data of the Canadian citizen. The photo will be made with a laser, and the data will be made with heat-sensitive ink.
The cover of the new passports will still feature the Canadian coat of arms, paired with a maple leaf image. Inside will be images of polar bears, people jumping into a lake, and birds in winter.
Passport production is expected to begin this summer.
