No. GC014/06
For release - October 27, 2006
OTTAWA — The Honourable Lawrence Cannon, Minister of Transport, Infrastructure and Communities, together with the Honourable Stockwell Day, Minister of Public Safety, today announced further details and draft regulations related to Canada's air passenger assessment program, known as Passenger Protect. Under the program, the Government of Canada will take action to prevent persons who pose an immediate threat to aviation security from boarding a commercial aircraft.
"Terrorist groups continue to target civil aviation, and to look for ways to defeat existing security safeguards. There is a continuing need to address potential threats to aviation security and to the safety and security of all Canadians," said Minister Cannon. "This made-in-Canada program will add another layer of security to our aviation system while maintaining efficiency and ensuring the privacy and human rights of Canadians are protected."
Under the Passenger Protect program, the Government of Canada will create a list of specified persons who may pose an immediate threat to aviation security should they attempt to board a flight. The program will include a set of guidelines focused on aviation security that will be used by the Government in assessing individuals for potential inclusion on the list. Air carriers will be able to screen passengers against the specified persons list through a secure online system. If the air carrier identifies a person as a possible match with an entry on the list, the air carrier will contact Transport Canada for confirmation of identity and a decision about whether or not the individual will be allowed to board the flight.
"Recent events such as the alleged terror plot in the United Kingdom highlight the importance of a program like Passenger Protect," said Minister Day. "We must remember that Canada is not immune to the threat of terrorism and we must remain vigilant."
The Government of Canada will continue discussions with airlines, airports, and labour representatives, as well as civil liberties and ethno-cultural groups in developing Passenger Protect, in order to put in place a program that enhances security, respects the needs and realities of the aviation industry and protects the rights of Canadians. As a result of the consultations conducted to date, Transport Canada has committed to establishing a reconsideration process to provide a non-judicial, efficient way for any member of the public who has been affected by the program to have their case reviewed by persons independent of those who made the original recommendation.
Transport Canada is also working closely with the Office of the Privacy Commissioner in order to further strengthen the privacy provisions of the program prior to its implementation for Canadian domestic flights in early 2007. The program will be extended to international flights to and from Canada later that same year.
To allow for implementation of the program, the Government of Canada is also proposing new Identity Screening Regulations that would require air passengers to present government-issued identification that shows name, date of birth, and gender before boarding an aircraft. This practice would be consistent with procedures currently in use by most major airlines, and would allow the air carrier and Transport Canada to confirm the identity of a passenger who is a possible match with an entry on the specified persons list. The proposed regulations will be published in the Canada Gazette, Part I on October 28, 2006. From that date, there will be a 75-day period for interested parties and the public to provide comments.
A backgrounder with more information on the Passenger Protect program and the proposed Identity Screening Regulations is attached.
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Contacts:
Mélisa LeclercDirector of CommunicationsOffice of the Honourable Stockwell DayMinister of Public Safety613-991-2863
Natalie SarafianPress SecretaryOffice of the Minister of Transport,Infrastructure and Communities, Ottawa613-991-0700
Media RelationsPublic Safety and Emergency Preparedness613-991-0657
Vanessa VermetteCommunications,Transport Canada, Ottawa(613) 993-0055
Transport Canada is online at www.tc.gc.caa. Subscribe to news releases and speeches at www.tc.gc.ca/e-news and keep up-to-date on the latest from Transport Canada.
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BACKGROUNDER
The Government of Canada has been consulting with industry on passenger assessment since May 2004, and expanded consultations on a program proposal for Passenger Protect in the summer of 2005. Our consultations with air carriers, airports, labour representatives, civil liberties and ethno-cultural groups as well as the Office of the Privacy Commissioner continue and are essential to the successful design and implementation of a program that enhances security, respects the needs and realities of the aviation industry, and ensures that the privacy and human rights of Canadians are protected.
The Passenger Protect program will add another layer of security to our aviation system to help address potential threats. Terrorist groups continue to target civil aviation, and seek means to defeat existing safeguards and measures.
Under the program, the Government of Canada will create a list with the name, date of birth and gender of each specified person that will be provided to airlines. The airlines will compare the names of individuals intending to board flights with the names on the specified persons list, and will verify with the individual's government-issued identification when there is a name match. Identification will be verified in person at the airport check-in counter. When the airline verifies that an individual matches in name, date of birth and gender with someone on the list, the airline will be required to inform Transport Canada.
A Transport Canada officer will be on duty 24 hours a day, every day, to receive calls from airlines when they have a potential match with a specified person on the list. Transport Canada will verify information with the airline, confirm whether the individual poses an immediate threat to aviation security and inform the airline, if required, that the individual is not permitted to board the flight. The Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) would be notified immediately, and police of jurisdiction at the airport would be informed and take action as required.
It is anticipated that the Passenger Protect program will be in place for Canadian domestic flights in early 2007. The second phase of the program will extend to international flights to and from Canada and is anticipated to be in place later in 2007.
Creating the Specified Persons List
The Minister of Transport, Infrastructure and Communities, has the authority under the Aeronautics Act, to specify an individual who is a threat to aviation security and to require airlines to provide information about the specified person.
A Transport Canada-led Advisory Group will be created to assess individuals on a case-by-case basis using information provided by the Canadian Security Intelligence Service (CSIS) and the RCMP, and make recommendations to the Minister of Transport, Infrastructure and Communities concerning their designation as specified persons or the removal of that designation. The Advisory Group will be advised by the Department of Justice, and will include a senior officer from the CSIS, a senior officer from the RCMP, and as required, other Transport Canada officials and representatives from any relevant Canadian government department or agency.
An individual will be added to the specified persons list if their actions lead to a determination that they may pose an immediate threat to aviation security, should they attempt to board an aircraft. Guidelines in making that determination would be focused on aviation security, and include:
an individual who is or has been involved in a terrorist group, and who, it can reasonably be suspected, will endanger the security of any aircraft or aerodrome or the safety of the public, passengers or crew members;
an individual who has been convicted of one or more serious and life-threatening crimes against aviation security; and
an individual who has been convicted of one or more serious and life-threatening offences and who may attack or harm an air carrier, passengers or crew members.
Identity Screening Regulations
The proposed Identity Screening Regulations will require airlines to screen each person's name against the specified persons list before issuing a boarding pass, for any person who appears to be 12 years of age or older. The proposed regulations take into account the various ways in which the boarding pass may be obtained: at a kiosk, off the Internet, or at an airport check-in counter.
Where there is check-in via Internet or kiosks, airlines will not allow printing of the boarding pass when there is a name match with the specified persons list. Passengers refused a boarding pass at a kiosk or off the Internet will be directed to the airline agent for in-person verification of government-issued identification (ID). ID verification will determine whether the name, date of birth and gender match those of a listed person.
The proposed regulations also require air carriers to screen individuals at the boarding gate by comparing the name on government-issued ID with the name on the boarding pass. If the name on the ID is not the same as the name on the boarding pass, the air carrier will be required to check the name on the ID against the list.
Transport Canada will work with air carriers to provide training for agents and staff who will be involved in implementing the ID verification requirement, and establish procedures that respect the rights of passengers.
The ID requirement under the Passenger Protect program will be for one piece of valid government-issued photo ID that shows name, date of birth and gender, such as a driver's licence or a passport, or two pieces of valid government-issued non-photo ID, at least one of which shows name, date of birth and gender, such as a birth certificate. The verification of passengers' ID is already a practice followed by most major air carriers in Canada.
The proposed regulations will be published in the Canada Gazette, Part I on October 28, 2006.
Reconsideration and Appeals
The Passenger Protect program also includes a reconsideration process for individuals who wish to contest the denial of boarding. An individual who has been denied boarding under the Passenger Protect program will be able to apply to Transport Canada's Office of Reconsideration (OOR), which may arrange for an independent assessment of the case and make a recommendation. The goal is to provide a non-judicial, efficient mechanism for any member of the public to have their case reviewed by persons independent of those who made the original recommendation to the Minister.
In addition to the OOR, individuals will also have the option of appealing to the Security Intelligence Review Committee, the Commission for Public Complaints against the RCMP, or the Canadian Human Rights Commission, where the request would be handled according to normal procedures. Individuals have the further option of taking the case to Federal Court for judicial review.
Privacy and Human Rights
The protection of privacy rights and human rights is a core element of the Passenger Protect program. In developing the program, Transport Canada continues to work with stakeholders and consult with civil liberties and ethno-cultural groups, and the Office of the Privacy Commissioner on privacy aspects.
A Summary of the Privacy Impact Assessment conducted on the Passenger Protect program is available on the Transport Canada website at http://www.tc.gc.ca/vigilance/sep/passenger_protect/executive_summary.htm. In addition, the Office of the Privacy Commissioner of Canada posed a series of questions to Transport Canada about the Passenger Protect program in August 2005. The questions and the answers shed light on the privacy protection features of the program and are available on the Web at http://www.tc.gc.ca/vigilance/sep/passenger_protect/Q&A.htm.
Transport Canada will continue to work closely with the Office of the Privacy Commissioner in order to further strengthen the privacy provisions of the program prior to its implementation.
More details on the Passenger Protect program and the proposed Identity Screening Regulations are available on Transport Canada's website at www.tc.gc.ca/vigilance/sep/passenger_protect/menu.htm.
October 2006
