Canada Post is trying to track down dozens of passport applications from southern B.C. and Alberta, containing sensitive personal information, that went missing en route to Quebec.

Three packages containing more than 50 passport applications from Medicine Hat and Lethbridge, Alta., and Cranbrook, B.C., were scanned at a postal facility in Lethbridge in late October. But they were never delivered to the Passport Canada offices in Gatineau, Que.

John Caines, a spokesman for Canada Post, said the lost documents are a serious concern.

"Definitely, this is very personal information and we do apologize to anyone who might be affected by this. Anytime a package goes missing it is a concern for us," said Caines.

But this is not the first time passport forms have disappeared in the mail.

In the past 15 months, a total of 107 passport applications in seven priority courier parcels, including the three recent lost parcels, have gone missing while being handled by Canada Post, Passport Canada confirmed.

The post office's priority courier service promises overnight delivery of parcels in Canada, with electronic tracking and signed delivery.

Passport security concerns

News of the missing application follows a recent warning from Canada's Privacy Commissioner about how personal information on passport forms is handled and processed by Passport Canada offices.

"Given the high sensitivity of the personal information involved in processing passport applications, better privacy and security measures are needed," Privacy Commissioner Jennifer Stoddart said in her report issued Dec 4.

"Unfortunately, the shortcomings we found raised the risk that Canadians' information could wind up in the wrong hands."

But Jean-Sébastien Roy of Passport Canada says the system can still be trusted.

"I don't think it's a reason to lose confidence in the system. Security is very important for us and we are working very hard to make sure it doesn't happen again," Roy said.

While Canada Post and Passport Canada try to figure out where the missing applications went, the people involved are being issued new passports free.