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ACTION ALERT: Oppose the no-fly list
July 4, 2007
Dear activists,
As recently reported in the Globe and Mail, "Federal, provincial and territorial privacy guardians have called for suspension of the Canadian government's new no-fly list until it can be overhauled to ensure that the privacy of Canadians will be protected...They urged the federal government to refer the matter to a parliamentary committee that can hold public hearings and weigh privacy and human-rights concerns against the security provided to the travelling public."
The Ottawa Citizen then reported that, "A 15-year-old Orleans boy -- a star athlete and 2003 Ontario junior citizen of the year -- has been caught in the web of North America's no-fly lists. But his parents can't find out what list he is on so they can try to get him taken off...After several phone calls and a long wait, (the boy) Alistair (Butt) was allowed to fly. (His parents) Major Butt and her husband were told that in all likelihood their son's name is similar to someone else's on the no-fly list. Airline officials warned, however, that the boy could be blacklisted for life."
Remarkably, as the Ottawa Citizen reports, "The best way to avoid future inconvenience and embarrassment is to change their son's name, the parents were told (by the airlines)."
The Globe and Mail editorial board has written, "People whose names are on the list erroneously, or whose names are similar to one of the 2,000 or so names on the list, will be inconvenienced at best and in jeopardy at worst...There are no assurances that the names on the list won't be shared abroad, a prospect that inescapably recalls the fate of Canadian citizen Maher Arar, who was detained at a U.S. airport and shipped off to torture in Syria...The commissioners have the right idea: Suspend the list. Let a parliamentary committee examine the justification for the program and any evidence - evidence that has yet to be provided - that the no-fly list would make the skies safer. At the moment, it's a dubious proposition."
The no-fly list is very much a Security and Prosperity Partnership initiative. The "Security and Prosperity Partnership of North America Report to Leaders, August 2006" outlines 105 SPP initiatives. Initiative 93 states, "Develop, test, evaluate and implement a plan to establish comparable aviation passenger screening, and the screening of baggage and air cargo (for North America)." Under the "key milestones" with this initiative the report states, "Develop comparable standards and procedures within 24 months (June 2007) for passenger screening to increase aviation security."
For more information on this issue, you can read Maude Barlow's January 2007 Toronto Star editorial "Time to review Canada's security links with U.S.: With our no-fly list set to go into effect, Ottawa is moving closer to meshing security operations with Washington, despite its poor human rights' record".
ACTION
Chapter activists are encouraged to write Prime Minister Stephen Harper at pm@pm.gc.ca and tell him that the no-fly list should be suspended and that a parliamentary committee should hold public hearings on this matter. You are also encouraged to write a letter to the editor and raise these concerns on the pages of your local newspaper.
Send your letter to the Prime Minister below and click here to submit your letter to the editor.
DRAFT MESSAGE
Prime Minister Harper,
As a member of the Council of Canadians, I am deeply concerned about the Government of Canada's new no-fly list, which is part of the Security and Prosperity Partnership of North America. Recently, federal, provincial and territorial privacy guardians have called for the suspension of this list. They have urged you to refer the matter to a parliamentary committee that can hold public hearings on this issue. I am concerned that the no-fly list will be shared with foreign governments that do not respect human rights and about the risk of "false positives", in other words names that appear on the no-fly list in error or because they are similar to those of people who have been identified as a risk. I am also concerned that although the federal privacy commissioner has asked Transport Canada for studies or other evidence that no-fly lists improve airline security, no such studies or evidence have ever been provided. I join with others in calling for the suspension of the no-fly list and for public hearings to examine the justification for this program.
Sincerely,
Brent Patterson, Director of Organizing and Campaigns, The Council
of Canadians
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