No Fly List Kids parents hopeful about federal budget funding fix

Parents of children who keep running into no-fly list snags at the airport say they have new hope the problem will be addressed in the coming federal budget.

A representative of the group known as the No Fly List Kids has been invited to a stakeholders’ lockup in Ottawa on budget day Feb. 27.

READ MORE: Ottawa tells families caught up in no-fly list to be patient

Families from the group came to Ottawa in November to make their case to MPs and ministers with the aim of ensuring that funding for a new computer system to end the glitches is included in the budget.

WATCH: How Canada’s No Fly List differs from America’s

2:06 How Canada’s No Fly List differs from America’s

The group has enlisted support from MPs of all stripes who have written letters to encourage Finance Minister Bill Morneau to ensure the money is allocated.

READ MORE: Feds have been little help for families of no-fly list kids

The group says the mismatches – which result in airport delays – often involve Muslim-sounding or Arabic-sounding names, raising the question of charter of rights guarantees of equality under the law.

Public Safety Minister Ralph Goodale says the solution entails passing legislation, enacting regulations and building the computer system from the ground up.