Hiring spree helping with visa, immigration delays: federal ministers

The federal Liberal government says hundreds of additional staff have been added in recent months to address long wait times and backlogs at Canadian airports as well as visa and immigration offices.

Yet while cabinet ministers say the additional hires have started to make a difference, they acknowledge that far more work is needed when it comes to providing Canadians with the services they deserve.

The comments came during an update on the work of the government’s special task force to help tackle major delays with immigration applications and passport processing.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau created the 10-minister task force in June in response to public anger and frustration over the delays, which also included problems at Canadian airports.

Crown-Indigenous Relations Minister Marc Miller, one of the co-chairs of the task force, says the federal government has “thrown bodies at the problem” by hiring more staff across government.

But he says not only do the problems still exist, a hiring spree is not the most effective response and the task force is still examining ways to address the problems over the long term.

by The Canadian Press