Part Two of Canada’s Proposed Secure Air Travel Act

Canada is forging ahead in a bid to increase the safety of airline passengers, aircraft and crew. Bill C-51, known as Canada’s Anti-terrorism Act, 2015, is to be tackled in two parts:

• Security of Canada Information Sharing Act
• Secure Air Travel Act

If passed, the current Passenger Protection Program would be enhanced with greater transparency for the sharing of passenger data in a similar system to that used in the U.S. in the transmission of Advance Passenger Information (API). API transmission before a flight leaves for its destination, can allow government agencies to scan passenger data and achieve early alert when comparison is made to a ‘do-not-fly’ list or similarly, a list containing the names of potential terrorists, members of high-risk political or radical groups – a ‘Persons of Interest’ list.

Opposers of the scheme argue that concerns should be raised when information sharing is discussed. It is by no means decided at this stage the grounds on which a person will be placed upon such lists and the government of Canada propose to lower the threshold and expand the grounds on which a person becomes ‘specified’ under the Passenger Protection Program.

The debate continues.