A WIN FOR KIDS Vetting of children against no-fly list unnecessary

Posted on 01/10/2016 | About Toronto, Ontario

The office of Public Safety Minister Ralph Goodale has reminded airlines they do not need to vet children against Canada's no-fly list. Goodale promised to investigate after a six-year-old was stopped in Toronto by airport security December 31st.

Syed Adam Ahmed and his father were trying to travel to Massachusetts to see the NHL Winter Classic. The minister says his department is also looking at possible changes to the Secure Air Travel Regulations that would help differentiate individuals who have similar or identical names as people currently on the list. Goodale also indicated the no-fly regime would be examined during broad public consultations on Canada's overall security framework. In a statement, Goodale says his department fully understands the frustration of law-abiding travellers whose plans are interrupted as a result of false positives arising in the security screening of airline passenger manifests. “We have heard the concerns of those who have gone through additional security screening that this situation can cause confusion and feelings of stigmatization.” The current air travel regulations say before issuing a boarding pass to any person who appears to be 18 years of age or older, an “airline” must first verify the identity of the person by comparing their name with the names on the Canadian no-fly list. However, Air Canada is known to use other security lists in vetting passengers, meaning he may not have been stopped because of an apparent match with the Canadian roster. In a statement, Adam's parents (Sulemaan Ahmed and Khadija Cajee) say they welcome Goodale's announcement and that it addresses several key points they asked for. They added they understand the need for security and this is a “wonderful opportunity to address the flaws in and improve the quality of the system.”