Canada's new passport to show more nature and less history

Canada's passport is getting a makeover — with a new design that will feature more natural landscapes and wildlife and fewer Canadian historical moments and monuments.

Speaking at a news conference on Wednesday, Minister of Families, Children and Social Development Karina Gould and Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Minister Sean Fraser said the new design is the product of 10 years of consultation.

"We tried to take the feedback about what represents Canada," Fraser said.

"One of the things that I heard was we want to celebrate our diversity and inclusion, we want to celebrate our natural environment ... and [we] tried to bake those elements into the design."

The current passport pages feature images such as Parliament's Centre Block, the Stanley Cup, the famous photo of the last spike going into the Canadian Pacific Railway, and photos of Nellie McClung and Terry Fox. The new passport displays animals (bears, narwhals and owls) and natural scenes, such as children jumping into a lake.

Fraser said a complete change in theme was necessary to improve the passport's security.

"It makes it much harder to counterfeit," Fraser said.

"It does make it easier when you maintain the same images for a significant period of time for counterfeiters to abuse the document and to produce fakes."

The new passport cover bears the same coat of arms as the current passport, but adds a large maple leaf.

Gould said the new passport design reflects Canada.

"I think when you look at the images here, they are fairly traditional Canadian images," she said.

"I mean, if you look at polar bears, and people jumping into a lake, and birds in the winter, I mean I think it really captures the spirit of who we are as Canadians."

Gould defended the passport when reporters asked why historical Canadian figures, monuments and buildings are not on the pages.

"I think a couple of the questions have been suggesting that there's a partisan aspect to this," Gould said.

"I think it's important to say that this is not partisan. The design of this passport started 10 years ago and this is really about ensuring the security of the document."

Fraser said the design change was not the result of complaints heard during the consultation.

"There's no feedback we received that people found our history offensive," he said.

The Royal Canadian Legion criticized the redesign for removing an image of the Vimy Ridge Memorial.

"We are disappointed by the decision to remove an image that signifies the sacrifices made for the very sort of freedom the passport provides," the Legion said in a media statement.

"The Vimy Memorial was a fundamental image, also representing a defining moment for Canada, a country emerging as an independent nation with limitless potential. Removing that image in the context of a design change and without knowing the rationale was, to put it bluntly, a poor decision."

Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre led question period in the House of Commons Wednesday by asking the government why it removed the image of the Vimy Ridge Memorial.

"Why is he deleting the 3,598 Canadians who gave their lives so that Canada could have freedom and victory at Vimy? He is erasing them and with that, he is insulting all of our veterans," Poilievre said.

"Why won't 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?"

Trudeau responded not by defending the passport but by attacking the former Conservative government's record on veterans.

"They wrapped themselves in the flags and the symbols any time they can, but in fact, they nickeled and dimed our veterans, they used them for photo ops, they shut down nine veteran service offices across the country," Trudeau said.

"The Conservatives have always disrespected veterans while they wrap themselves in the imagery."

Poilievre also expressed dissatisfaction with the images in the new passport — such as a squirrel eating a nut and a man raking leaves.

Responding to questions from reporters Wednesday, NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh did not comment on the new passport.

"I don't have a strong opinion on the appearance of the passport," Singh said.

Passport contains new security features

Gould said that production of the new passport will begin soon. The current passport is still valid for travel and will be for up to 10 years. The government will start issuing the new passport later in the summer.

The passport features enhanced security features, including temperature-sensitive ink and ultraviolet images.

"The new passport includes state-of-the-art security features designed to keep Canadians' identities safe, such as a polycarbonate data page — a technology similar to Canada's driver's licences," a government news release said.

"Passport holders' personal information will now be laser engraved instead of being printed with ink, making the data page more durable and resistant to tampering and counterfeiting."

The federal government started issuing the current version of the passport in 2013.

The government is also set to launch a new online renewal system for passports in the fall of 2023.

NDP transport critic Taylor Bachrach welcomed the new renewal process.

"Eight years have passed since the Liberals promised 'easy online access to government services,' so this change is long overdue," he said in a media statement.

"After a year of Canadians waiting hours in line for passports, New Democrats will keep pushing for accessible, efficient service."