The irony of the post-9-11 Canadian passport application

As I am going on an overseas trip next month--the first since September 11, 2001, I had to reapply for a new passport and a number of changes this time around in the application really got me thinking.

First of all, the photo. It's so ironic that for a country like Canada that prides itself on being one of the best countries in the world to live in, it asks its citizens to have the most guilty-looking, unhappy headshot as your passport photo. In the passport application, it made sure to note that you should have a "neutral" face without smiling or having any facial expression at all. The result is a photo that looks worse than a mugshot on a Western wanted poster. That kind of passport is something I really don't like to have and is rather different than the passport photos I had in the past. To give a comparison, I'd say my old passport photos were a Mona Lisa style photo, but now, it's a criminal mugshot. Very unappealing. It's worse than my drivers license photo, and that's saying something.

I have yet to see what a new passport looks like, compared to my old one that expired last year, but I suspect it will look different - and have more security features. It had better since I paid almost double what I paid the last time I got a new passport.

I'll let you know in 10 business days.