Last week it was word that BC Ferries required photo identification for all now, if they wish to board its vessels (check out the signs at the BC Ferry ticket booths) on the North Coast routes, a policy that went into effect last Friday and is destined to be in place system wide in the near future. A driver’s licence or passport will work for BC Ferries
Now, starting Monday morning, ID for everyone above the age of 12 will be required at Canadian Airports, coinciding with the debut of Canada’s new watch list, a compilation of names, two years in the making that has remained a secret, but will ban a number of Canadians from flying the skies of the nation.
The creation of the list never went through a Parliamentary debate, instead it was brought forward through various regulations, considered by some as a back door form of legislation. A troubling bit of governance, since it doesn't allow our elected officials to discuss its merits, nor answer to their constituents, the same folks that may find Monday to be a rather lousy day to travel.
The decision to create a No Fly List for Canadians has become the focus of a fair amount of backlash, with critics suggesting that many innocent people will find themselves banned from flight without any warning, nor indication as to how they arrived at that state. Even worse, the process to be removed from the Specified Persons list seems steeped in numerous labyrinths of bureaucratic red tape that one may just decide to buy a car and burn some fossil fuels instead.
On the plus side for travelers if there is one, your chances of being on the list mistakenly or not seem slim. While the US No Fly list has compiled some 70,000 names, Canada’s version while stricter, is much lower in numbers with only about 1,000 names listed as those deemed not to be allowed on the planes. Still, if your name is on there, especially if it turns out to be a bureaucratic snafu, your next trip to the airport could prove to be a very, very frustrating experience, followed by an even more troublesome process to clear it!
If you're 12 years of age and up, what you'll need on Monday if travelling by air in Canada will be: one piece of government-issued photo ID -- or two pieces of government ID without a photo -- showing their name, date of birth and gender.
The new travel list isn't exactly gaining a ringing endorsement from Canada's Privacy Commissioner Jennifer Stoddart, who says that the list could become "quite a nightmare" for ordinary Canadians. She has long bee concerned about the approach of the government both Liberal and Conservative to the list, as can be seen in her "questions" to the government of the day back in August of 2005.
While the air travel list may have had its incubation during the last Liberal reign, it's the Conservatives that are in control during the implementation. Considering the grief that the current passport regulations are providing for Canadians, their patience may very well be limited to more governmental red tape.
Now, starting Monday morning, ID for everyone above the age of 12 will be required at Canadian Airports, coinciding with the debut of Canada’s new watch list, a compilation of names, two years in the making that has remained a secret, but will ban a number of Canadians from flying the skies of the nation.
The creation of the list never went through a Parliamentary debate, instead it was brought forward through various regulations, considered by some as a back door form of legislation. A troubling bit of governance, since it doesn't allow our elected officials to discuss its merits, nor answer to their constituents, the same folks that may find Monday to be a rather lousy day to travel.
The decision to create a No Fly List for Canadians has become the focus of a fair amount of backlash, with critics suggesting that many innocent people will find themselves banned from flight without any warning, nor indication as to how they arrived at that state. Even worse, the process to be removed from the Specified Persons list seems steeped in numerous labyrinths of bureaucratic red tape that one may just decide to buy a car and burn some fossil fuels instead.
On the plus side for travelers if there is one, your chances of being on the list mistakenly or not seem slim. While the US No Fly list has compiled some 70,000 names, Canada’s version while stricter, is much lower in numbers with only about 1,000 names listed as those deemed not to be allowed on the planes. Still, if your name is on there, especially if it turns out to be a bureaucratic snafu, your next trip to the airport could prove to be a very, very frustrating experience, followed by an even more troublesome process to clear it!
If you're 12 years of age and up, what you'll need on Monday if travelling by air in Canada will be: one piece of government-issued photo ID -- or two pieces of government ID without a photo -- showing their name, date of birth and gender.
The new travel list isn't exactly gaining a ringing endorsement from Canada's Privacy Commissioner Jennifer Stoddart, who says that the list could become "quite a nightmare" for ordinary Canadians. She has long bee concerned about the approach of the government both Liberal and Conservative to the list, as can be seen in her "questions" to the government of the day back in August of 2005.
While the air travel list may have had its incubation during the last Liberal reign, it's the Conservatives that are in control during the implementation. Considering the grief that the current passport regulations are providing for Canadians, their patience may very well be limited to more governmental red tape.
If it proves to be trouble for Canadians and causes them much in the way of grief, nobody will remember the Liberals as the fathers of the rules, the nightmare will all be there for the Harper Conservatives.
From the net, the feedback to the new regulations:
Critics swat Canada's No-Fly list
'No-fly' list could blacklist innocents: critics
Ottawa going 'overboard' with no-fly list, expert warns
Government not ruling out using biometric data to reinforce no-fly list
Air Canada concerned over no-fly list
Grounding the No-Fly List
From the net, the feedback to the new regulations:
Critics swat Canada's No-Fly list
'No-fly' list could blacklist innocents: critics
Ottawa going 'overboard' with no-fly list, expert warns
Government not ruling out using biometric data to reinforce no-fly list
Air Canada concerned over no-fly list
Grounding the No-Fly List
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