Passport Canada: Caught with Its Tech in a Time Warp
April 21, 2009
CTV posted an item from “The Canadian Press” called “Online Form Poses Problem for Passport Canada.” You can read the story here. Passport Canada does what its name says—handles documents related to immigration. Another unit of the Canadian government is the Canadian Foreign Affairs Department. The agency put some blank forms on its Web site. The form – PPTC 132 – is useful for getting a passport without a person who can verify the John Smith is “really” John Smith. The CTV.com story said:
Canadians who are overseas and need a passport require the form, which allows them to make their own declaration under oath.
Passport Canada keeps the form under tight control. Foreign Affairs Department put the form under loose control. Excitement ensues.
Some thoughts:
- Coordination within and among government agencies is not too good, not just in Canada, but in most countries. Parkinson’s Law and political budget walls are two good reasons
- Online remains a mystery in the Internet age
- The notion of a form repository is a tricky one. The US initiative that I bumped into years ago seems to be ineffective
- Removing information once it is “out there” is tough.
Are there lessons in this example? Lots. Easy and quick and cheap fixes. Pick two.
Stephen Arnold, April 20, 2009
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