TORONTO — The federal government is creating a new office to ease the travel troubles faced by Canadians who have been wrongfully included on the country’s no-fly list.
“Eliminating false positives in airport security screening is complex, but we are committed to a long-term solution through a domestic redress system,” said Public Safety Minister Ralph Goodale in a statement issued Friday.
The Passenger Protect Inquiries Office is meant to help travellers who have names that match those listed on Canada’s Secure Air Travel Act.
Sulemaan Ahmed, whose son is one of those matches, called the move a “victory.”
READ MORE: Public safety minister to investigate 6-year-old’s travel troubles
He and his wife, Khadija Cajee, were making headlines at the beginning of the year after their now seven-year-old son, Syed Adam Ahmed, was flagged as a travel security risk.
“We’re very relieved that hopefully we’ll be able to travel worry-free going forward,” said Cajee.
Under the new system, travellers like Syed — who goes by his middle name, Adam — can apply for an identification number. Using this number when buying a ticket would clear the traveller’s name in advance to avoid delays at the airport.
For children like Adam, travelling with a matching no-fly list name means extra time spent going through security checks at the airport.
READ MORE: ‘Complete profiling’: parents call for action for young children on security watch lists
Cajee said she found out these checks become more intensive as Adam gets older.
“We didn’t want this for our son or for any of the other children,” said Cajee.
Public Safety Canada said the new process could take 18 months to make all the required system changes. Nonetheless, the announcement comes as a relief to Ahmed and Cajee.
“This is definitely a step in the right direction. We’re very happy for that,” said Cajee.
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