Daily BrewFive things you didn't know about the Canadian passport
This week a Bowmanville, Ont. couple found out the hard way that just having a valid passport isn’t enough to get you out of the country. Dallas Hill and Evan Bouckley were prevented from boarding a flight to Italy because Hill's passport was set to expire in July; Canadians who are travelling to the Shengen area of European states need passports that will be valid for at least three months after they leave the region they're visiting. Some countries have even stricter passport authentication requirements.
Validity requirements aren’t the only things some Canadians don't know about their passports. Here are five more.
Royal prerogative
Technically, your passport is granted by the Queen of Canada (which is different from the Queen of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, even though they’re the same person). A passport application can be denied simply by "royal prerogative," which was invoked famously when Omar Khadr applied for a passport in 2006. Fortunately, Charter rights mean such a denial is extremely rare.
No more tint
As of May 9, tinted glasses aren’t allowed in passport photos, to ensure that the holder's eyes are "well defined and clear." Sorry, Bono.
It’s a popular prop for assassins
James Earl Ray, Martin Luther King’s assassin, used a Canadian passport with the name Ramon George Sneya to elude the FBI in 1968. In 1940, Spaniard Ramon Mercader del Rio used a Canadian passport to travel to Mexico City, where he killed Leon Trotsky. In 1973, Mossad agents used false Canadian passports to kill a waiter in Norway suspected of being a terrorist operative.
Hidden images
The new ePassports have a lot of eye-pleasing features, not the least of which are the illuminated images that come alive under a blacklight. Colours, flowers and even fireworks jump off the page when the passport is lit properly.
No autographs please, we’re children
Contrary to the claims of some airlines and border agents, you shouldn’t have your child sign their passport unless they’re over 11 and the they meet the strict requirements of Passport Canada. Parents should never sign for their children; it voids the passport.
