From the CBC:
“Redress
system for travellers caught by 'no-fly list' errors coming this month: Blair”
Help is on the
way for people erroneously flagged as security threats on the "no-fly
list," Public Safety Minister Bill Blair announced Wednesday. The minister
said he hopes to have a new system for individuals who have names similar to
those of genuine terror threats in place later this month — and up and running
in time for the holiday travel season. "It wasn't just an inconvenience.
It was very traumatic for those families, and I think it's concerning to the
kids," Blair said in an interview with CBC News. "It was the right
thing to do, and we've been working through it."
Canada's no-fly
list — formally known as the Passenger Protection Program or the Secure Air
Travel Act — dates back to 2007 and is meant to stop potential security threats
from boarding commercial planes. The old system was built on names rather than
unique identifiers, such as dates of birth or passport numbers. As a result,
some Canadians — including young children — have been mistakenly flagged by the
system because their names match, or are similar to, the names of real security
threats. For years, the families affected by the system and the advocacy
organization they formed to respond to it, the No-Fly List Kids, have lobbied
the government to fix the problem — arguing the experience of being barred from
boarding a commercial aircraft is traumatizing. Today, the group said the
measures announced in the Commons represent "one step forward in the call
for ongoing and increased accountability, transparency, and anti-racist
policies from Public Safety and other National Security organizations."
The final
provisions of the Secure Air Travel Regulations came into effect on Wednesday,
transferring the responsibility for screening travellers against the list away
from air carriers and to the federal government. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau
announced the regulations in the House of Commons on Wednesday. In the coming
days, certain travellers will be able to apply for a "Canadian Travel
Number" – a unique number they can use when they book air travel to
distinguish them from those on the list, says a media release from Blair's
office.
Application
launching within 2 weeks The release
said the application is scheduled to launch online within two weeks and will
allow travellers to apply before air carriers start to transfer to the new
centralized screening system beginning in late November. When asked why
it's taken so long to fix the issue, the minister said it took both legislative
and regulatory changes to get to today. "It was also necessary to
develop and test and implement some pretty complex IT systems," Blair
said. Public Safety said new regulations will also allow the government
to screen travellers against the list before they arrive at the airport for
their flight — up to 72 hours before takeoff — to prevent delays at check-in.
"It will be a central database managed by the government rather than
data that's handed over to the airlines," Blair said. "That really
does, in my opinion, improve its utility in maintaining a secure and safe
environment on the airlines. We're able to make more information available in
that."
Government
officials have not confirmed how many people are on Canada's no-fly list,
arguing the information could help terrorists plot a catastrophic attack on an
airliner. In the 2018 budget, the Liberal government pledged more than $80
million over five years, and $14 million annually afterwards, to build the new
centralized screening system. Canada's updated national security legislation,
previously known as Bill C-59, gave the department the authority to create the
new system. It was passed in June 2019.
^ This system
should have been made years ago. As usual Canada lags behind in getting things
done. ^
https://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/no-fly-list-redress-1.5789343
No comments:
Post a Comment
Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.