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ePassports: Will they improve the system?

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Passport Canada plans to launch an ePassport in 2012, and in the meantime it wants to hear Canadians' thoughts on the issue -- including revised fees.

The new passport will be little changed in appearance but will contain an electronic chip encoded with key information about the bearer, as well as a digital portrait of the traveller's face. Canadians will also be able to choose whether they want a passport valid for 10 years or for the current five-year period.

Along with these changes will come new fees -- a development that requires consultation with Canadians, under the User Fees Act, according to the agency.

Canadians are already responding to the proposed changes. Several CBC News community members on Facebook expressed concerns about how long the renewal process currently takes. Commenter Sue Elliot is especially concerned about the implications for those overseas. "Because being without a passport abroad ... is scary," she says.

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Passport Canada Invites Canadians to Have Their Say: Questionnaire

Electronic passports: What are your thoughts on the changes? Do you have concerns about security or the new fees?

Take our poll:

(This poll is not scientific it is based on reader's votes.)

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