Canada joins US in issuing no-fly list
Canada introduced a no-fly list to ground air passengers “who may pose an immediate threat to aviation security” and tried to play down concerns that the list could be abused.
Airlines will be obliged to check the names of passengers aged 12 or over against the list, which was compiled using information from the Royal Canadian Mounted Police as well as Canada’s counter-intelligence agency.
“Airline civil aviation is a constant target to terrorists. We have to be extremely vigilant on that front,” Transport Minister Lawrence Cannon told reporters.
He said the document contained between 500 and 2,000 names. Passengers listed as potential threats can provide further identification and information in a bid to make their flight.
If that fails, they can file an appeal with Transport Canada or the country’s various law-enforcement bodies.
“(These names) have been checked, they’ve been double checked, the aliases have been checked. So we feel quite secure as to the composition of the members who are on this list,” said Mr Cannon.
In the US, officials say more than 31,000 innocent people are stopped each year because their names resemble those on watch lists, according to Reuters. The victims have included babies and US lawmakers.
Lindsay Scotton from the office of Canada’s privacy commissioner said the list was “a very serious incursion” into people’s rights.
“It can be life-threatening, it can have very serious and profound ramifications if somebody is on a list that is used for purposes that interfere with their civil liberties,” she told the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation.
Scotton and others worry that foreign airlines might provide the list to their own governments, thereby putting innocent people at risk if they travel abroad.
The Canadian list includes people who are or have been “involved in a terrorist group,” or who have been convicted of “one or more serious and life-threatening crimes against aviation security”.
Others barred from flying include those “convicted of one or more serious and life-threatening offenses and who may attack or harm an air carrier, passengers or crew members”.
Report by David Wilkening
David
Vegas’s Billion-Dollar Secrets – What They Don’t Want Tourists to Know
Visit Florida’s New CEO Bryan Griffin Shares His Vision for State Tourism with Graham
Chicago’s Tourism Renaissance: Graham Interviews Kristin Reynolds of Choose Chicago
Graham Talks with Cassandra McCauley of MMGY NextFactor About the Latest Industry Research
Destination International’s Andreas Weissenborn: Research, Advocacy, and Destination Impact
Graham and Don Welsh Discuss the Success of Destinations International’s Annual Conference
Graham and CEO Andre Kiwitz on Ventura Travel’s UK Move and Recruitment for the Role
Brett Laiken and Graham Discuss Florida’s Tourism Momentum and Global Appeal
Graham and Elliot Ferguson on Positioning DC as a Cultural and Inclusive Global Destination
Graham Talks to Fraser Last About His England-to-Ireland Trek for Mental Health Awareness
Kathy Nelson Tells Graham About the Honour of Hosting the World Cup and Kansas City’s Future
Graham McKenzie on Sir Richie Richardson’s Dual Passion for Golf and His Homeland, Antigua
ADS PRO 
CCS Insight: eSIMs ready to take the travel world by storm
Germany new European Entry/Exit System limited to a single airport on October 12, 2025
Airlines suspend Madagascar services following unrest and army revolt
Qatar Airways offers flexible payment options for European travellers
Air Mauritius reduces frequencies to Europe and Asia for the holiday season