Here is what Canada’s new high-tech passport looks like
Published May 11, 2023 at 9:11 am
The government has unveiled Canada’s new high-tech passport and while it comes with cool new features, it’s also missing Canadian icon Terry Fox.
The new Canadian passport was redesigned from cover to cover with state-of-the-art security features and new artwork, Sean Fraser, Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship, and Karina Gould, Minister of Families, Children and Social Development announced yesterday (May 10).
The state-of-the-art security features include a polycarbonate data page—a technology similar to Canada’s driver’s licences. 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.
Other features include a Kinegram over the main photo, a custom see-through window with a secondary image of the passport holder, a variable laser image, and a temperature-sensitive ink feature.
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Artwork on the passport “celebrates Canada’s heritage and identity with iconic images of Canada’s natural beauty throughout the four seasons,” the press release reads.
But many people quickly noticed Terry Fox was missing.
“I’m the Mayor of Terry Fox’s hometown,” said Port Coquitlam Mayor Brad West in a tweet. “Whoever made the decision to remove Terry Fox from Canadian passports needs to give their head a shake. Our country needs more Terry Fox, not less.”
Blank visa pages in the new passport that show bears in a forest in spring.
Other images on the old passport, released in 2013, include an Inukshuk, the parliament buildings, Vimy Ridge, and the Fathers of Confederation.
Ultraviolet light changes the colours and reveals security features.
The new passport also includes a new cover design with an outline of a maple leaf—the first significant change in decades.
Blank visa pages in the new passport that show children swimming and people paddling a canoe in summer.
The new design comes from the Canadian Bank Note Company, which the Government of Canada awarded a 14-year contract in 2019. Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada has worked with the Canadian Bank Note Company for the better part of the last century.
Blank visa pages in the new passport that show children on a farm in fall.
The new passport will start rolling out later this summer. Until then, the current passport remains secure and reliable, so Canadians with valid passports will only need to renew them when they are getting close to their normal renewal date.
Blank visa pages in the new passport that show owls and children playing in winter.
More details regarding the roll-out of the new passport will be provided at a later date.
The Government of Canada also just announced that starting later this fall, Canadians will be able to renew their passport, pay their fees, and upload their photograph securely and conveniently online.
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