It is absolutely typical of Canadian Government that in order to obtain a birth certificate for Harry, I must provide eleventy thousand forms filled out in triplicate, and also have a form signed by a 'Guarantor of Professional Standing' who has known me for 2 yrs or more. Wtf??? It's a copy of his birth certificate, not a document relating to National Security, not his medical secrets, not even a passport FFS!
Posted by katie at April 4, 2005 08:58 AMYes, but a birth certificate is a form of ID which can be used to get a passport (after filling out eleventy more forms and getting another guarantor of professional standing who's known you for 2 years or more to sign the paperwork) so it is kinda important to make sure it's legit ...
The whole security thing around these documents is pretty silly, though. The Bad Guys will find a way to get them anyway; all this stuff does is frustrate the honest folks. And, more importantly, show the Americans that yes, we are serious about security and they shouldn't just close the border.
BTW, I'll bet the government never called you to verify that I am who I say I am, did they? (The latest Canadian passport application requires that you provide two references, in addition to the guarantor; I listed Katie as one of mine.)
Posted by: Steve at April 4, 2005 02:10 PMFirst paragraph says it all really :)
Canada is an absurdity when it comes to security - there's probably all manner of Al Qaeda living here after all, and they let EVERYONE in. So why make birth cert (for people who are born here, after all) so bloody difficult. It's insane.
Posted by: katie at April 4, 2005 06:44 PM