Towards Collective Action on the Passport Crisis?

Many travelers affected by the passport crisis have filed complaints with Option Consumers and approached law firms to initiate collective actions, TVA Novelles has learned.

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These disgruntled passengers seek compensation for an agonizing wait in conditions that can only be described as extreme.

Some Canadians were forced to spend entire nights in the rain without chemical toilets or water stations.

TVA Nouvelles also saw Quebecers who missed their flights and had to buy plane tickets at the last minute after getting their precious document.

Several Montreal-area law firms contacted by TVA Nouvelles confirmed receiving requests from disgruntled travelers to assess the possibility of launching a class action against the federal government.

Before taking action, lawyers must ascertain what type of loss the passengers have suffered.

Some argue that a fundamental right protected by the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms also exists in the form of a right to a passport.

If Ottawa has taken new measures in recent weeks, the situation is far from perfect, according to one lawyer.

“The problem is that there are people who applied in February, March and still haven’t received their passports, but the departure is scheduled for July. . . so it doesn’t have to be last minute, but it’s unfortunate that they’re not sure yet at the time of talking whether they’ll succeed in getting it at the time of their departure. find themselves in the position,” says Mi Silvie. De Bellefeuille, lawyer and budget advisor to TVA Nouvelles.

A family who missed a flight because their children’s passports were received too late.

They had to shell out a few thousand extra dollars to reach their destination.

“It’s hell, we’ve never experienced it. We ran to the airport. But we couldn’t get on the plane. It cost me $4,000 to buy new plane tickets. I want to get some form of compensation from the federal government, there’s no other way. I have all the photos, evidence, They made a mistake,” said Julie Austin in Santiago de Cuba.

– Based on information from Yves Poirier