No. H 131/07
For release June 28, 2007

Canada's New Government Reiterates Its Commitment to Passenger Protect

OTTAWA — The Honourable Lawrence Cannon, Minister of Transport, Infrastructure and Communities, today reiterated Canada's New Government's commitment to aviation security, specifically to the Passenger Protect program.

"Canada's New Government is committed to keeping Canadians safe and secure, while protecting their privacy and their constitutional rights," said Minister Cannon. "The Passenger Protect program does just that. In fact, we continue to work extensively with the Office of the Privacy Commissioner and have integrated proposals and comments by the Office of the Privacy Commissioner, civil liberties groups and community groups to help ensure privacy protection and accountability. This program has the benefit of having learned lessons from countries all over the world with respect to watch lists."

This made-in-Canada program was developed to provide an additional layer of security for the aviation system. Three years of Parliamentary consideration and two years of policy design work have resulted in a program that is effective, efficient and protects the privacy rights of Canadians.

"The purpose of this program, along with other security initiatives, is to safeguard our aviation system from any individual, who is or has been involved in a terrorist group, or who has been convicted of one or more serious and life-threatening crimes and who is suspected to endanger the security of any aircraft," added Minister Cannon.

Numerous safeguards to ensure accuracy were developed:

• The Specified Person List is limited in scope and focused only on aviation security.
• The list is reviewed and revised at least every 30 days to incorporate any new information in a timely and efficient manner.
• The program and the Minister of Transport are accountable to Parliament and therefore subject to Parliamentary scrutiny.
• Government-issued identification (ID) is required for all air travellers over 12 years of age to help with the verification of name, date of birth and gender.
• A Transport Canada officer is available 24/7 to receive calls from airlines about any possible identity matches. It will then be the responsibility of the Government of Canada and not the airline to make the final decision on whether to deny boarding to an individual who is a match.
• If an individual is denied boarding under the program, an application can be made to the Office of Reconsideration, which may arrange for an independent assessment of the case and follow up with a recommendation.
• The Office of Reconsideration is independent from the group that recommends the inclusion of individuals on the Specified Persons List and it provides a non-judicial and efficient mechanism for review.
• In addition to the Office of Reconsideration, a further option is to make an application to the Federal Court for judicial review.

With respect to a foreign government obtaining a copy of the list, Transport Canada would only consider sharing the list with a foreign government if it:

• could be done in compliance with Canadian law and policy;
• could be done in a way that protects the rights of Canadians; and
• meets our number one priority to have a safe and secure aviation system for the benefit of Canadians.

The Passenger Protect program is just one component of a broader strategy to enhance the protection of Canadians, while promoting a safe, secure, efficient and sustainable system of air travel.

For more information on the Passenger Protect program, including a list of valid ID, please visit www.passengerprotect.gc.ca.

–30–

Transport Canada is online at www.tc.gc.ca. Subscribe to news releases and speeches at www.tc.gc.ca/e-news and keep up-to-date on the latest from Transport Canada.

This news release may be made available in alternative formats for persons with visual disabilities.