The federal government says it is working to revamp the screening process for Canada鈥檚 no-fly list to avoid flagging people who pose no security risk.
A senior government official briefed reporters about the proposed Enhanced Passenger Protect Program on Wednesday. The program would automatically match passenger lists to existing security intelligence and the no-fly list, rather than each airline being responsible for conducting their own background checks.
鈥淩ight now 120 carriers are going about their own screening on their own and figuring out and resolving issues on their own, and then need to call, often, Transport Canada to review (and) clarify identity,鈥� said a senior departmental official speaking with reporters on background.
鈥淓verything is going to change in the future when you have one system where all the manifests come into and are screened.鈥�
Under the proposed program, airlines would be required to submit their passenger lists ahead of a flight and the program would automatically flag any potential security risks.
It would also create a redress system for passengers who鈥檝e been flagged with a false positive on the no-fly list. If confirmed as a false positive, the passenger will be given a number to plug in when booking future flights to avoid being flagged for a second time.
The current system has incorrectly blocked children and other Canadians from flying in the past as their names were similar or identical to someone deemed a threat.
鈥淭his is a system that was designed improperly in the first place when it was put together some 10 years ago,鈥� Minister of Public Safety Ralph Goodale told reporters on Wednesday.
The government says the new system would remove the need for airlines to manually check someone claiming to have been wrongly flagged, while at the same time increasing national security and passenger privacy.
鈥淭he problem, what鈥檚 going on now is that without centralized screening these people get caught up when they buy tickets, because there is no way to validate their birth date, or who really they are, until they actually show up at the airport,鈥� the official said.
鈥淲e鈥檙e building a system that we think that with a redress number on hand that will help the travellers get around this problem all together.鈥�
The changes require two bills to pass, which are currently before the Senate. There is no timetable for when this will be implemented as the program also requires upgrades to current technology.
鈥淲e want to move on this as fast as possible,鈥� said Goodale. 鈥淚 need the legislation first and as you know government departments taking steps in anticipation of parliamentary action can get the minister into trouble for parliamentary contempt. We need the legislation as rapidly as we can get it.鈥�
The government has budgeted $81.4 million this year and $154 million annually afterwards for the implementation and maintenance of the program.
There is no data on how many people have been impacted by a false positive or how many such occurrences happen annually.
