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U.S. air-security rules cause Canadian turbulence

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http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20081123.wflights11...

....OTTAWA — New American rules intended to beef up air security threaten the privacy of Canadians, pose financial headaches for small airlines and could disrupt the plans of sun-seeking travellers, critics say.

The U.S. Transportation Security Administration is pushing ahead with plans to collect personal information about air passengers on flights passing through American airspace, even if the plane never touches down on U.S. soil.

The name, gender and birth date of Canadians flying from Toronto to destinations such as Cuba, Mexico or Europe will be transmitted by airlines to the TSA under its Secure Flight program, to take effect next year. The agency will then vet the names against security watch lists aimed at keeping dangerous people on the ground.

Washington recently published rules for the initiative – which flows from recommendations of an inquiry into the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks – following consultations with parties including the Canadian government.

U.S. Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff says Secure Flight, which transfers the task of watch-list screening to the TSA from individual airlines, will reduce the number of false matches and clear up mistakes more quickly.

Roch Tasse of the Ottawa-based International Civil Liberties Monitoring Group considers the program a threat to Canadian sovereignty.

“It's the United States having control over which Canadians are allowed to board a plane or not,” he said.

“So it's a big political conundrum. It's a Kafkaesque situation where our Charter rights will be breached by another country.”

Mr. Tasse argues that sprawling U.S. watch lists could ensnare numerous Canadians – or activists, immigrants and refugees who want to fly to Canada from Latin America or Europe but must travel through American airspace to do so.

For Canadians, the new program amounts to a “loss of personal information, and sets a nasty precedent,” said Mike Skrobica, interim president of the Air Transport Association of Canada, which represents many airlines that fly over the United States.

Charter airlines and smaller outfits that lack sophisticated computer systems will have to invest in new technology to meet the new demands, he said. “It will cost a lot of money to put this into place.”

The security program could also put a crimp in last-minute travel plans because passenger information must first be relayed to Washington, ideally 72 hours in advance, under the rules.

“It will affect us because it will delay flights,” Mr. Skrobica said, noting the U.S. no-fly list has been known to include tens of thousands of names.

He planned to attend a meeting of interested parties in Virginia on Monday to express concerns about the rules. But he wasn't counting on changes.

“I'm pessimistic that this administration is at a stage where they are willing to listen to any kind of reason or modify their position,” Mr. Skrobica said.

Though a new U.S. president is poised to take office, Mr. Skrobica expects it will be months before the next homeland security czar turns his or her attention to the nitty-gritty of air-security rules.

Secure Flight will take effect in two phases – early next year for domestic U.S. flights, and late 2009 for international flights.

In a submission to Washington in November of last year, Canada expressed concerns about privacy, redress for travellers mistakenly prevented from flying, and possible vetting of names for purposes other than keeping air travel safe.

Transport Canada spokeswoman Maryse Durette said Ottawa “continues to be in discussion with the U.S. on Secure Flight in order to minimize the impact of the program on Canadian air travellers and ensure that the security and privacy interests of both nations are respected.”

Ms. Durette could not elaborate on the talks, saying only that they were occurring at a “high level.”

Mr. Skrobica said he is disappointed by Ottawa's efforts. “The Canadian government has been very quiet on this.”

By babygirl on Nov 26, 2008, 06:47 in Cuba.

babygirl says on Nov 26, 2008, 06:50:

Are you kidding me? I can't even comment right now because this just disgusts me. I thought of my American comrades that travel via Canada to get to Cuba.

"Are you too good for your home?", Happy Gilmore.Canadian Girls Kick Ass!

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Ken says on Feb 22, 2009, 15:45:

What the hell does this got to do with Cuba??

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babygirl says on Apr 30, 2009, 00:40:

"What the hell does this got to do with Cuba??"

hmmm can't figure it out lad?

"Are you too good for your home?", Happy Gilmore.Canadian Girls Kick Ass!

0 funny, 0 helpful.