From the Niagara Falls Review:
Passport Canada is bracing for 5.2 million passport applications during the year ending March 31, 2009, a jump of 10 per cent over the previous year which itself was record-breaking, an internal document shows.
The projection is based on a revamped formula that now takes into account so-called “pulses,” that is, changes in demand that are driven by significant events, such as the U. S. Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative or WHTI.
The initiative requires Canadians to present passports when travelling into the United States. Previously, Canadians could show birth certificates and other documents but as of January last year, the new passport rule kicked in for air travel.