Original Passport requirement for PRTD

Hello Everyone,

I have recently received admission in a Graduate school in Canada and would like to travel to take up the opportunity. I am a holder of an expired PR Card and thus am applying for a PRTD under humanitarian grounds (since I was a minor at the time of moving away from Canada and am applying to go back at the earliest given opportunity).
I will have to apply through the Abu Dhabi Embassy offices, and so am following their document requirements. I am concerned in particular, about the requirement for the "original Passport" to be submitted, and as I understand from the procedure described on the website, there will be no acknowledgement from the embassy about receiving them.
This leaves me in a rather difficult position as I might have to travel to another country at the time of PRTD application process for personal reasons.
The average PRTD processing time mentioned is 10 days, but that is not guaranteed.
1. Thus, I would like to know if I can submit any substitute for my Original Passport (Photocopy of all the pages of the passport including the blanks etc.)
OR
2. if there is a possibility for me to come to the embassy and present my passport personally when required by the immigration department instead of submitting with the application itself.

Thank you in advance for all your suggestions!