Just when people started to think that Canadians might be cool, Ottawa implemented a new policy that prohibits smiles and other expressions in passport photos. A photo with any expression will be rejected by the passport office.
“The International Civil Aviation Organization, ICAO, has released a recommendation regarding a new specification for photos in passports,” explained Suzanne Meunier, spokeswoman for the Canadian Passport Office. “What they say is that the facial expression should be neutral … no smiling, no laughing, no frowning — no expressions, basically.” *
This will make it much easier for customs officers to identify someone from a photo. People will look as grumpy in the photo as they do in the customs lineup.