No-fly list could end up in foreign hands, Air India probe is told

Ottawa: The names of Canadians on a forthcoming federal no-fly list could end up in the hands of foreign governments, whether or not Ottawa gives its official consent to sharing the information, a Transport Canada official has acknowledged.
Brion Brandt, testifying Tuesday at the public inquiry into the 1985 Air India bombing, said the list was conceived to meet a pressing need - to enable airlines to screen out dangerous passengers and head off terrorist attacks.
Under the regime that will take effect June 18, anyone considered an "immediate threat" to air safety will be barred from boarding flights within Canada or bound for Canada from abroad.
The list of names is supposed to be shared - at least initially - only with commercial airlines who will be responsible for the actual passenger screening. But Transport officials have held the door open to the possibility of eventually sharing it with foreign governments as well.
If Ottawa ever decides to go that route, said Brandt, it would want some assurances about what use foreign authorities plan to make of the list.
05/06/07 Jim Brown, Canadian Press/Canada.com, Canada

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Categories: Air India Jun 2007, Foreign Jun 2007, Safety Jun 2007