As mandated by the Canadian Passport Order, Passport Canada is responsible for issuing, revoking, withholding, recovering, and providing instructions on the use of Canadian passports. It provides guidance to missions issuing passports abroad and supervises all matters relating to Canadian travel documents.
Passport Canada has four regional operations: Western, Ontario, Central and Eastern. There are 33 passport issuing offices across the country from St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador, to Victoria, British Columbia.
In 1990, Passport Canada underwent a major transformation - it became a Special Operating Agency (SOA). It is one of the first five Special Operating Agencies set up by the Government of Canada to improve services to Canadians. While Passport Canada is a government institution, an agency of Foreign Affairs and International Trade Canada, it operates much like a private sector enterprise.
Passport Canada finances its operations entirely from the fees charged for passports and other travel documents and must generate sufficient revenues to meet expenditures. There is no annual parliamentary appropriation, and the service is supported by applicants rather than taxpayers. Passport Canada operates under a revolving fund which allows it to accumulate an annual surplus (or deficit) of up to $4 million. Passport Canada can also carry over surplus revenues from year to year to offset future shortfalls.
As a Special Operating Agency, Passport Canada has greater management flexibility to achieve results. In exchange for its increased autonomy, Passport Canada is accountable for meeting demanding performance standards.
Passport Canada publishes two major corporate documents: the Business Plan and the Annual Report. These documents are essential management tools used in the development and implementation of the long-term strategies and short-term business objectives of Passport Canada. These documents are also used by the Agency to evaluate its performance.