The new Electronic Canadian Passports are being introduced... projected time - from 2012 onwards.
The good news is that you will now have the option to make the validity period 10 years instead of the current 5 years with the older issues.
The bad news is the cost in getting one of them, the CBC story leaves out that while the old Passports cost around 90 dollars a piece the new ones can cost as high as 220 dollars.
The new passports will not yet contain biometrics, (iris scans and fingerprints) which critics are saying should be included to enhance security and deter identity theft. In the end
proponents are saying that the newer issues will be more secure and citizens now have a document that is valid for twice as long as before if they so desire. For those of you who
regularly go to conventions this is probably good news, you won't have to update your document as often as before, (although it will be more expensive.)
Link to the CBC news story - http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/story/2010/10/26/passport-electronic-canada.html (http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/story/2010/10/26/passport-electronic-canada.html)
Interesting, my passport is good for a few more years. Maybe i will shell out that much for a,10 pp then.
Ah, don't worry. The prices will be cheaper in the long run. So long as my passport still works with the electronic scanners in say, YVR, I wouldn't have to worry too much about it.