The iconic images on sa国际传媒's new passports, unveiled with fanfare last week, short-change women and multicultural communities, says a report ordered by Passport sa国际传媒.
The passport agency hired a survey firm to "disaster check" more than a dozen of the watermark images on the pages of new passports being introduced next year, to ensure nothing offensive would be released.
Eight focus groups assembled in four cities last April found nothing "inappropriate or disturbing," but almost all said the choice of images failed to reflect sa国际传媒's diversity.
"Participants routinely suggested that the set of images should be more representative of sa国际传媒, with emphasis on including more women and better reflecting sa国际传媒's multicultural character and heritage," says the report by Phoenix Strategic Perspectives Inc.
Younger participants also said there were too few images of contemporary sa国际传媒.
The new passport images were praised by Foreign Affairs Minister John Baird in an elaborate media event last week at the Museum of Civilization in Gatineau, Que. - soon to be rebranded the Canadian Museum of History.
"It tells the world who we are: a nation built on freedom, democracy, human rights and the rule of law," he said of the mostly historic images.
The watermark set includes a sports scene with football and hockey players, the Bluenose schooner, the Last Spike, Niagara Falls and the Parliament Buildings, among others. But participants repeatedly cited the absence of women, including in an image showing the evolution of the RCMP.
One image does show a statue of early feminist Nellie McClung, which some in the focus groups called "unattractive," urging use of a photograph instead.
Passport sa国际传媒 did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
The new passport includes chip technology and watermark images designed to prevent fraud, and can be renewed for up to 10 years.
