Passport Application

To Whom It May Concern:

I am writing to request that my place of birth not appear on my passport. Recent world events have shown that some countries may use the place of birth for discriminatory treatment of travellers. Including the place of birth on a passport constitutes an unjustified and unnecessary disclosure by the Government of Canada of personal information about individuals to anyone who has occasion to see their passport. This information is irrelevant since a Canadian citizen is a Canadian citizen, without distinction. It is not enough for only those who are born outside of Canada to remove their place of birth from their passport. In order to protect these individuals it is necessary for every Canadian to omit their place of birth from their passport.

In addition to my personal request, I strongly urge the Passport Office to remove the place of birth from all passports issued as per the recommendation of the Privacy Commissioner of Canada.

Sincerely,

Russell O’Connor